r/CaughtMyEye • u/detectiverobert • 20h ago

A middle school custodian was suspended and later resigned after secretly living above the school auditorium for six months. He furnished the space with beds, furniture, and a mini-fridge, and had his four children stay with him on weekends because he had nowhere else to go.

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u/Aggressive-Expert-69 19h ago

Bros probably getting bent over on child support. Its not really your employers fault if the consequences of your actions rip a chunk out of every paycheck you get.

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u/pm_me_fibonaccis 19h ago

Consequences or not he should have enough to survive off of. The way these things are calculated is based on a version of the US that doesn't exist any more. 

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u/Slymook 18h ago

Not saying he should starve in the streets, but as long as we’re all on the same page that he created a situation where it’s pretty much guaranteed he will require significant support from others.

I wanna have kids and live a middle class lifestyle and am working hard towards that end and might just make it to that point before im too old to do that. I’m not about to just start having a bunch of kids and put those kids in a bad situation and make others have to provide for me.

I don’t think we should live in a world where having kids is only for the rich, but shit man 4 kids

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u/WillowPtar_Migan 17h ago

He may have worked towards it just like you are currently, and then the relationship turned sour. Who knows. It could happen to you or me some day, shit happens in life.

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u/astralchanterelle 16h ago

All it takes is your wife/girlfriend deciding she hates you one day, takes the kids, and you're screwed. Courts side with the mom most of the time, that's just how it is, doesn't matter if you're a great dad or not

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u/MyFiteSong 13h ago

That's not how it works.

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u/RatioIntelligent420 11h ago

you're completely right that fathers usually don't want equal custody. in my personal experience and in every other statistic or story i've heard they usually settle for or want whatever is a bit easiest, like weekends or summers. but i have heard of fathers with more or full custody (david sheff the author had his son during the school year and he flew to his moms for summers) and i have met a father who had his child taken from him. i'm from a mother-prefered state, and she was moving far away so the child was kept with her but because of the distance, her feelings toward him, child support that he couldn't really afford, he couldn't see that child at all. but he told me about them, and how he missed them, how when they got a bit older he hoped to reach out to them because the mother had blocked him on everything. it's rare. i don't know exactly why, probably the patriarchy, women usually end up with the brunt of childcare and expenses (unless the father is actually willing to pay child support) like you're right but we really don't know enough about this janitor guy. he literally could've been fine and great with his lady and 4 kids and then she decided she wasn't happy or maybe she genuinely did cheat. maybe she didn't! but it's just possible that he did work to have those 4 kids and that was ripped out from under him, it's rare but it can happen, and if he's making a little apartment for them so he can see them despite being homeless i mean -- my dad hasn't seen me in like 5 years 😅

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u/CheeseDreams98 13h ago

Even in this story the mother did not 'take the kids'.

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u/aramis34143 16h ago

"But if bad or inconvenient things can just coincidentally happen to otherwise decent people, then how can I sit in moral judgement of the downtrodden? Come on, buddy, I need this."

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u/Slymook 13h ago

You guys are all being so immature about it, it’s not even about judging this guy. The commenter I commented on made it seem like this is a societal issue.

It is an actual logistical thing that we can’t all just have 4 kids in our teens and early 20s when we’re not financially stable and just expect things to work out.

I know it’s a wealth inequality thing at the top too and I know politically we have issues in the US, but we can’t act like in this case it’s a societal issue only.

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u/Joshua_ABBACAB_1312 17h ago

Four teenage kids in his mid 30's. He was likely a teenager himself when some or all of them were conceived.

Despite consequences, the fact that he and everybody else deserves a roof over their heads is indisputable. You can say he made his bed. You can say it's his fault. You can go down any road but if it takes you to a place where you think he should be unhoused, you made a wrong turn along the way and should turn back.

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u/Slymook 13h ago

That’s the conclusion I’m at as well. It’s not punching down on the guy to point out that he created a situation that will require significant help from social programs. There are others acting like this is purely a societal issue.

There are no public policies that could allow for all of us to barely make any money and all have 4 kids, while still maintaining a quality of life we all believe should be the minimum (roof over our head, clean water, food, healthcare).

It’s a societal issue that this guy doesn’t have a roof over his head but it is an individually caused problem to a degree, but yes we all deserve basic human decency.

There is a nuanced convo to be had, but I am seeing a lot of social justice warriors act like this is purely societal.

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u/notalem0n 17h ago

Life does not always go according to plan

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u/SasparillaTango 14h ago

but as long as we’re all on the same page that he created a situation where it’s pretty much guaranteed he will require significant support from others.

What situation is that exactly? paying child support should bankrupt you?

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u/Slymook 13h ago

I’m not saying that though

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u/Quite_Likes_Hormuz 16h ago

Having kids is now considered a middle class lifestyle...

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u/Threedawg 17h ago

Cool, its his fault, you established that.

Why is that an okay reason to force him to be homeless?!

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u/nalaloveslumpy 16h ago

That's not the reason he's forced to be homeless. The reason is you can't have staff living in the school. Much less ones who were doing it secretly for months with their teenage kids on the weekends.

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u/Threedawg 16h ago

Yes, congrats, you made it to the same conclusion that the rest of us, our society is fucked for allowing this situation to exist.

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u/Varsity_Reviews 16h ago

Well for one a school isn’t an adequate living space. Mostly because it lacks the proper facilities for living space, but also, What if that area wasn’t in the best condition and he fell or hurt himself while off the clock? Nows caused damage to the school and his body and I highly doubt insurance would cover that. For two he’s not paying for the extra electricity he’s using. Fridges, especially mini fridges, use a lot of power.

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u/Threedawg 16h ago

Yes, congrats, you made it to the same conclusion that the rest of us, our society is fucked for allowing this situation to exist.

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u/Varsity_Reviews 16h ago

Rules exist for a reason. You can cry all you want, at the end of the day we can’t just start turning random places into houses because someone isn’t making enough money for an apartment

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u/Threedawg 16h ago

Who are you fighting with? No one is saying its okay to live in a school.

Its fucked he had nowhere else to go. Thats the issue.

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u/SayWhatever12 16h ago

Forcing him to be homeless? If you had someone living in your attic, I wouldn’t believe that you would be OK with them staying there and that removing them is YOU causing THEM to be homeless.

If any one of them got hurt on that property they’re gonna have to be responsible for it. If there was a fire or other friends invited…the list goes on. The solution wasn’t for them to keep living in the school.

My grandparents had a lot of children they ended up having to have two jobs each and my grandpa actually had three jobs. Perhaps in order to get out of this situation he’ll have to double up on jobs on the weekdays. Children are expensive.

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u/Threedawg 16h ago

Bragging about how your family was exploited.

Weird flex but okay.

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u/Ok-Chest-7932 15h ago

No the law created that situation because the government wants to maximise the amount it can take. If he had sole custody he'd be paying what he could actually afford, as everyone else does. It's only the broken child support system that is forcing him to pay more than that.

If you really need child support above what is affordable then pay for it with general taxation.

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u/Charming_Account_351 14h ago

The problem is the child support if it was garnishing so much that he was unable to live it most likely means the mother was not working and fully using the child support to fuel her lifestyle too.

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u/Reynolds531IPA 10h ago

Isn’t necessarily his fault that his baby momma decided to end their relationship. It might be. But not necessarily.

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u/NefariousnessOld7737 2h ago

Not saying he should starve in the streets

Well you are saying that. Very American view. He is one pissed off uncle away from being homeless and has no job. So no child support. Win win for everybody, the kids in particular!

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u/Glynwys 40m ago

I don’t think we should live in a world where having kids is only for the rich, but shit man 4 kids

And this is the largest issue with the political folks and the rich folks bitching about declining birth rates. The middle class is already shrinking year after year, to the point where a decade from now there is going to be no middle class. It'll be low/poverty class and the upper/rich class. So they're already wanting to consign new kids as lower class/poverty class with little avanue to escape from poverty. But then on top of that, they're ensuring that raising even a single kid is more than a lower class family can financially support. When housing just by itself eats up 50% of a family's monthly expenses, no one can afford a kid.

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u/sistemy_ 14h ago

if you aren't wealthy by now you never will be unless you luck out with gambling, but hey at least you get to punch down on this guy i guess?

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u/Slacker_The_Dog 18h ago

Mom doesn't appear anywhere in this comment.

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u/Rogersgirl75 18h ago

Why mention mom? She’s doing her part by raising the kids almost full time. Her responsibility would be toward her children, not to an ex.

She is the teens’ primary caretaker, and Father gets them on “some weekends” per the article.

This means that he owes the mother financial compensation. The money is for the children- to provide his share of the expenses for the 4 children he helped create. The money isn’t just a bonus for mom, it’s his responsibility to help buy things that are necessary for keeping their children alive and well.

The mother doesn’t owe this man housing, nor should she refuse to take child support from him even if it hurts him, because then the kids suffer.

I do feel horrible for this man. I wish they would’ve employed him as a “nighttime security guard” so he could’ve stayed, as it seemed like he wasn’t hurting anybody.

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u/veringo 17h ago

I'm not sure I do, honestly. This is the kind of article that deliberately leaves out information so sexist people online can fill in the blanks about how the evil wife or court system always harm the true victim, the man. Reddit loves this type of shit.

I've got very little doubt that more details about this situation would make this guy much less sympathetic.

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u/MotoMongrel 17h ago

That’s because she’s providing a full-time home for the kids.

Imagine a world in which child support wasn’t an issue because men didn’t have children they weren’t ready to support.

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u/Shallaai 17h ago

Imagine a world where people lived within their means

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u/MotoMongrel 15h ago

So you believe multi-millionaires should be taxed above 50%? 

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u/DickRiculous 17h ago

Then he needs to earn more. The school can’t just create more budget out of thin air.

That means either more hours or another job if more hours aren’t available. There’s no world in which a janitor gets paid more just because he “needs more” than equally competent peers who would have been equally well suited for the same job.

I’m not sure if there is any kind of undue hardship pathway to lower child support payments but it’s those payments that are making him unable to afford housing so the fault lies with him, his ex spouse, and the government.

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u/Jeedeye 14h ago

"then he needs to earn more." By golly I think you just solved poverty! Get this person in office right away!

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u/DickRiculous 12h ago

You can always tell who replied before reading the whole comment.. or who didn’t understand it..

Sorry about your learning disability.

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u/Porridge_Cat 12h ago

Jobs should pay people enough to live. Not just afford the bare necessities , but actually live.

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u/d333aab 3h ago

my living involves buying 1oz of cocaine a week

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u/Leaningthemoon 17h ago

In a socialist world, he may not get paid more, but he wouldn’t need as much of his income to take care of things like housing, healthcare, and food. If he needed help, he would have it. The billionaires would have less, so would the millionaires, but they’d still be wealthy and could look down on others like they seem to love doing. It works for everyone.

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u/Valara0kar 16h ago

Thats no a socialist world.... that social-democratic/welfare world.

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u/Devils_Advocate-69 17h ago

5 people on one paycheck. The dude definitely made some bad life choices.

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u/tagwag 16h ago

Look, he could be a shitty person, no doubt it’s a huge possibility. But in the off chance he’s not, isn’t it kind of messed up he can’t afford to live? If he’s just a decent guy who can’t afford to live, it’s a big issue that he can’t afford to live. We shouldn’t have that be a possibility, and it shouldn’t be used as a social punishment. It’s one of the arguments against the death penalty, if somehow the individual put to death happens to be innocent, it means you killed an innocent person.

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u/Devils_Advocate-69 15h ago

He can apply for government assistance

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u/TacTurtle 13h ago

And a recalculation of child support based on financial hardship.

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u/EstablishmentLate532 15h ago

How many kids should a single paycheck support? Some people have 5-10 kids. Should every job be required to pay enough to support families of those size with a single income?

At some point, “a worker should be able to live on their wages” has to be distinguished from “a worker’s wages must cover every financial obligation they’ve chosen to take on.”

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u/NN11ght 4h ago

Paying child support/being a single dad isn't even good proof of someone being a dead beat dad.

Sure there are lots of dead beats who pay child support but there are just as many dead beat moms who sadly abuse the system to leech money off of men they used and dropped when it fancied them

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u/ihaxr 16h ago

7 if he's dating someone.... Him + gf, ex wife, 4 kids

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u/Lnnam 16h ago

If he is a custodian he certainly wasn’t funding anyone’s lifestyle, you should look up the minimum amount of child support.

And no alimony that is for sure.

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u/Admins_are_creeps 16h ago

Trusting a woman is usually a bad life choice.

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u/Shakewhenbadtoo 18h ago

From personal experience, the system calculates based on gross up to a cap, with a % increase per kid. That % is almost nothing per child when they are all one Dads. Child support isnt what broke him. I bet its the alimoney. The system is structured to incentivize multiple baby Daddies as each is maxed per child based on yhe income of each Dad.

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u/DrFrankSaysAgain 19h ago

Being a janitor has never paid enough to support 4 kids comfortably. Never ever.

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u/FullofContradictions 18h ago

My best friend's dad was actually a janitor when we were growing up. Her mom was a community art teacher & did janitorial work in the summers.

They had a small house and an old car. Kept food in the fridge for three kids + a cat (not the same as 4 kids, I know). But they also smoked like chimneys which has always been heavily taxed in my state. Bet they could've done a 4th if they wanted to.

Did they seem comfortable? Not really. Things were always tight. But the kids were fed, clothed, and managed to get a fair bit of fun stuff like movie rentals and video games.

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u/Acceptable-Bat4534 18h ago

Yea but thats a 2 person househould with two workers.

That means double checks, not really the same scenario

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u/FullofContradictions 17h ago

The scenario everyone in this thread is talking about is a janitor paying child support. Theoretically not solo providing for 4 kids. If mom is maintaining a home, I bet we can assume she has some sort of income.

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u/Acceptable-Bat4534 17h ago

Yea but their income isnt being pooled together. His income is going to the mom and he isnt getting any money/resources out of it.

Your example is two people income working together, so the househould net is more then just a janitors pay

So your example doesnt really show that someone can just live off a janitor wage, sincs his wife is pooling her money with him as a community teacher.

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u/Early-Light-864 18h ago

That was supporting one household. They certainly couldn't have afforded a whole other apartment, right?

People saying "divorce, leave them, run" whatever never account for how much poorer you're going to be. It's a lot. You will be a lot poorer.

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u/pm_me_fibonaccis 19h ago

You are functionally illiterate. 

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u/happyoaktree 19h ago

Must be American.
Source: am American

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u/JacksLack_ofSurprise 18h ago

You are big lying right now dude

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u/Twinsies620 18h ago

Oh it ABSOLUTELY has and DOES - especially in a school, and even more so in a public school. Being a school janitor is not a minimum wage job.

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u/DrFrankSaysAgain 17h ago

Why dont you look up janitorial jobs in your area and see if you could support a family on that wage only. Oh, and subtract child support payments as well.

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u/Admins_are_creeps 16h ago

Single mommy support! Child support and alimony laws are so archaic and primitive along with the courts being so anti father is the reason I have never gotten married, or had kids.

You never read stories about divorced moms living with crippling child support.

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u/Slymook 18h ago

Yeah dude has four kids, crazy move

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u/rainshowers_5_peace 17h ago edited 15h ago

Bent over? His kids need food and shelter as well and he should be providing for half of it.

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u/OldTie2811 15h ago

I wonder how their mother is living on his dime

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u/FilthyThanksgiving 14h ago

Lmao you really think their mom is living the high life off the wages of a homeless janitor she divorced??

What are you talking about? She's the primary parent so shes contributing more for those kids than he is, in more ways than one. I promise shes not depending on this guy making 35k a year. How would that even work lol

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u/Bildad__ 12h ago

Sir, you know the routine here: woman/government/society = bad. No additional analysis needed

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u/OldTie2811 7h ago

How do you know his circumstances aren’t because of the child support and not in spite of it. Have you ever met someone who pays child support?

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u/MyFiteSong 13h ago

You really think he's paying half her bills? That ain't how it works.

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u/OldTie2811 7h ago

Do you always get into arguments with your imagination?

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u/MyFiteSong 3h ago

You're the one who made the assumption, not me

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u/OldTie2811 3h ago

Interesting. What was the assumption?

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u/rainshowers_5_peace 15h ago

You don't think she's paying anything towards rent or mortgage? Or buying them groceries? Or driving them to doctors appointments?

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u/Dick-Fu 15h ago

That's exactly how my friend's child support situation went lol

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u/rainshowers_5_peace 15h ago

Where did the kids live? How did food get to the place they lived?

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u/Dick-Fu 14h ago

The babysitters take care of them at her apartment like 90% of the time lol, and Kroger just delivered it usually

They split up after one day when he got home there was nobody there. She took the kids and went to a different state without telling anybody lmao shit was crazy

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u/rainshowers_5_peace 13h ago

Who pays the babysitter? Who pays for the groceries?

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u/Dick-Fu 13h ago

He does, she doesn't have any income

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u/rainshowers_5_peace 13h ago

I'd be impressed if someone like that wasn't on social security in some capacity or another.

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u/MyFiteSong 13h ago

You know that story doesn't make any sense and your friend is probably lying, right?

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u/Dick-Fu 13h ago

lmao I don't know just from him telling me

Can you let me know what doesn't make sense?

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u/MyFiteSong 9h ago

Nobody just leaves AND takes the kids for no reason. And even if there is a reason, they can't do that legally without arranging for 50/50 custody.

So the real story is likely that your friend is abusive, his ex escaped, and he didn't even bother to fight for the kids.

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u/CackleandGrin 15h ago

You've obviously never worked with people paying child support who take home $80 a week and are unable to do anything but barely survive.

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u/The_Autarch 12h ago

sure, but the point is that he's overpaying. bro makes $80k and still can't afford an apartment because his ex takes all his money.

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u/rainshowers_5_peace 12h ago

Sounds like he should budget better. 80k he should be able to provide for half of his kids needs.

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u/DontFuckWithDuckie 17h ago

It could very well be from the consequences of his wife's actions or the result of a perfectly amicable divorce. Child support isn't a punishment for bad behavior.

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u/Warspit3 17h ago

It very well could be her income that forces him to pay so much.

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u/missinginput 17h ago edited 15h ago

Should full time work not cover enough for housing and child support? Probably safe to assume he couldn't afford a place to live together either

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u/aybeeayseeaybeebee 17h ago edited 16h ago

Yeah, my dumbass uncle had six kids with two different women and was able to support all eight people while working as a mechanic at a gas station. Paid for eight people and two 3-bedroom homes, and still had enough money to buy all sorts of toys (cars).

I can't comment on this guy's specific situation, but 45 years ago things seemed a lot more forgiving.

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u/missinginput 17h ago

What changed is a dozen people got richer

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u/Lord_dokodo 13h ago

Was he selling weed out the back cause that sounds like horseshit

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u/SwordfishOk504 15h ago

The guy says $64K of his $80k salary went to child support.

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u/missinginput 15h ago

No his salary was 64k and he made 80 with ot but child support took a large undisclosed amount.

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u/hesh582 9h ago

https://www.timesunion.com/education/article/albany-schools-custodian-resigns-living-hackett-22402449.php

2k/mo child support on 80k/year in a low cost of living area.

This isn't a sob story, if the guy can't house himself it's his own fucking fault. "I had to break into a school to survive" is an insult to all the people actually struggling in this country. He had a very good salary for his age and position and absolutely could have met his obligations if he behaved responsibly.

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u/hesh582 9h ago

He was making 80k a year and paying 2k/mo in child support.

Assuming no debt or stupid expenses like a really high car payment, he absolutely did not have to do this to be housed. Or anywhere even close, really.

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u/OXBDNE7331 19h ago

Yeah 4 child support payments on a school janitor wage is probably 90% or more each paycheck

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u/Virtual-Share-845 19h ago

That’s not how child support works.

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u/OXBDNE7331 19h ago

It can be EXACTLY how it works in some cases

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u/Bluebawlz2023 19h ago

Federal limit is 60% of your disposable income. That is not "EXACTLY" how it works in some cases.

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u/jamsticks9 19h ago

I handle payroll for my job and we get income withholding orders for employees for child support. We have employees being garnished 65% of wages, that's the limit for our state, so I don't think that's correct.

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u/Bluebawlz2023 19h ago

The Federal Consumer Credit Protection Act (CCPA) sets these maximum caps based on the following criteria:50% of your disposable income if you are currently supporting another spouse or dependent child who is not part of the child support order.60% of your disposable income if you are not supporting another spouse or dependent child.An additional 5% can be added to either limit (making the maximum 55% or 65%) if you are more than 12 weeks behind on your payments. 1

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u/HyenaThen572 18h ago

Important note:

"Disposable income" is not "money left after expenses" in this case.

It's "money left after taxes."

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u/Bluebawlz2023 18h ago

That's the definition of disposable income.

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u/Bluebawlz2023 19h ago

Technically yes. 65% is the limit. But a judge wouldn't just set the percentage at 65%. They start at 60% and if they are 12 weeks or more late then an extra 5% can be added.

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u/BrokenFireExit 17h ago

Actually the judge sets the 65% to start.. the judge sets the amount.. the 65% clause is already in that.. it's been calculated at the time of judgment how much would be paid if unpaid....

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u/Bossard19 18h ago

They said 65% of the entire paycheck. Not of whatever part is “disposable” proving the other year is full of shit.

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u/BrokenFireExit 17h ago

Disposable income is your whole paycheck..m. The taxes are stolen from you before you get the Negotiable transferable instrument ( the payroll check)

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u/Ok_Yam5920 19h ago

60% would destroy most people financially.

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u/tryyeezus 19h ago

I'm barely surviving with 100% of my income after taxes

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u/Bluebawlz2023 19h ago edited 18h ago

Yeah, I agree. I'm just saying the government isn't taking 90% in child support from anyone like the commenter claimed.

And 60% is the upper limit. There's a minimum as well.

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u/Akiias 9h ago

60% after taxes.

He made ~80k in 2025.

NY has an effective tax rate of ~26%: 20k

Remaining after taxes: 60k

Maximum child support of 60%(could be up to 65!): 36k

Remaining: 24k

So, while not 90% he could only end up with ~30% of his income. Assuming nothing else is taken out for benefits, or whatever.

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u/TacTurtle 13h ago

I mathed it out assuming the max 60-65% child support and no dependents claimed on taxes (parent with most custody / living arrangements typically gets the deductions).

If he was renting a 1-bedroom apartment at the national average, this would leave just $1,732-$4,832 annually for food, medical, etc or $33.30-$92.92 a week, assuming he was somehow saddled with the maximum % for child support.

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u/Akiias 9h ago

He could get a 1 bedroom apartment for under a thousand in Albany NY...

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u/Green-Original4503 18h ago

The economy is fucked and kids are unaffordable for most people these days. I'm not sure why everyone is acting like divorced dads should get a pass here. 60% of your disposable income sounds like the normal amount any parent spends on their child.

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u/HyenaThen572 16h ago

That amazingly out of touch.

In legal terms, disposable income = your take home paycheck.

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u/Original-League-6094 19h ago

Keep in mind that "disposable income" means "take home pay", i.e. what he takes home after taxes. It doesn't mean that he gets to subtract rent and car payment. So the guys above you are right. If the court is taking 60% of his janitor paycheck, there is no way he affords an apartment.

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u/Virtual-Share-845 19h ago

They are not right. The claim is that he is paying 90% of his income in child support. He is not and cannot be. It’s 100% basement dweller redditor bullshit.

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u/Original-League-6094 19h ago

It got the ceiling wrong. Someone said its not how child support works, but the idea and sentiment was correct, just not the number. Its not a big deal. The core part of the message was that someone paying child support on 4 kids working a janitor could end up paying so much child support that they would be unable to afford basic housing. At an average custodian salary of $35k/yr, his monthly money in his pocket after 60% child support costs would be <$1000.

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u/Bluebawlz2023 18h ago

Article states he made 64k but with overtime he was at 80k. He may or may not be at the 60% limit. Still tough to live with child support payments.

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u/TacTurtle 13h ago

I penciled out the math assuming he gets no deductions and rented a 1-room apartment at US national average, he would have $1,732-$4,832 annually for food, medical, etc or $33.30-$92.92 a week, assuming he was somehow saddled with the maximum 60-65% for child support.

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u/Professional-Gear88 19h ago

There’s a minimum payment too

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u/InTheTreeMusic 18h ago

Minimum payment in my state is $50. That's all my ex pays, but makes like $18 an hour.

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u/queenminxy 19h ago

60 percent? That’s insane considering most rent is at least 30.

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u/Bluebawlz2023 19h ago

That's the federal limit unless they are over 12 weeks late then the judge can add 5%. Not guaranteed in every case.

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u/HyenaThen572 19h ago edited 16h ago

I have zero disposable income and yet I still pay 800/mo.

Oh, and the mother makes 250k annual while I can't pay rent.

So how's that work?

Edit: I mean disposable as a common definition here, not the legal one.

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u/upnflames 19h ago

I wouldn't get into arguments with folks about stuff like this. These people get 100% of their "facts" from reddit and bullshit google searches. They don't exist in the real world.

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u/TheGeekOffTheStreet 18h ago

Do you split custody 50/50?

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u/Bluebawlz2023 19h ago

Sounds like you need to go in front of a judge again with a different attorney, honestly.

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u/Bossard19 18h ago

With what money?

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u/HyenaThen572 18h ago

Exactly - I would need approx 2 months of rent to pay the lawyer that I absolutely need because my coparent is happy to throw money at this.

Even then - the state just plugs my income into a formula and says "here's the bill, pay it or we'll take it the hard way, good luck."

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u/HyenaThen572 18h ago

Sounds like you genuinely don't understand fuck about shit.

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u/Quaiker 18h ago

It's some basement-dweller that doesn't know what they're talking about because they have no life experience. Their words are about as worth reading as a troll's.

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u/doctorapepino 18h ago

My husband pays $2000 a month and his ex says it’s not enough. She’s making about $65k on her own.

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u/SwitchIsBestConsole 18h ago

We don't know your full situation. The only one who knows what's wrong is you.

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u/Professional-Gear88 18h ago

Yea when I was recently divorced and sober and rebuilding my life making 20k my ex wife was hitting me up for child support while she brought home 500k that year. There is a minimum payment imposed by the court as well despite the obvious disparity.

I’m making much more now. And she’s laid off. So there’s that.

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u/InTheTreeMusic 18h ago

The minimum payment in my state is $50, and it's mostly so they can keep track of the parent and where they're working. I really think people ought to be able to contribute $50 to their child's wellbeing.

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u/asdfghjkl15436 19h ago edited 18h ago

bro if I had 60% of my paycheck taken I wouldn't be able to pay rent anywhere in my city even if I split a tiny room with multiple people lol. Then taxes and utilities and then ALSO pay for food if you have dual custody of said kids. Btw I work full time with an above average salary.

thats fucking bananas anybody would think that is survivable. It feels like a limit set when rent or housing didn't take 30-50% of your income ALONE

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u/Bluebawlz2023 18h ago

That's not my argument. And 60% is the upper limit. My argument is the government won't take more than the federal limit of 60% or 65% if they are late 12 weeks or more.

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u/asdfghjkl15436 18h ago

I mean, at 30%, it would still absolutely cripple the guy assuming he had 50/50 custody.

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u/InTheTreeMusic 17h ago

Most people with 50/50 custody only pay child support if there is a significant income disparity.

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u/asdfghjkl15436 17h ago

It was an 80/20 split so he would be paying more. Worst of both worlds.

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u/doctorapepino 18h ago

My husband makes $800 a week and his ex wife gets $500 a week.

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u/Bossard19 18h ago

What portion they decide counts as disposable is completely arbitrary

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u/TacTurtle 13h ago edited 13h ago

$80k a year income would be about $62,000 net, if the kids are not living with him most of the time he probably cannot claim them as dependents.

$62,000 x .40 = $24,800 a year for him to cover his own housing, food, etc.

If he was behind on child support it can increase to 65% garnishment, so he would have $62,000 x .35 = $21,700 a year for his own housing, healthcare, food, etc.

The national average for a 1-room apartment is $1,664 a month or $19,968 per year.

This would leave $1,732-$4,832 annually for food, medical, etc or $33.30-$92.92 a week, assuming he was somehow saddled with the maximum % for child support.

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u/OXBDNE7331 19h ago

Multiply that amount by 4…4 kids bro

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u/tryyeezus 19h ago

Do you understand how percentages work? The maximum child support that can be used from any one person's paycheck is 60% of the amount of the check.

 Doesn't matter how many kids, it just means he'll owe back support if it's not enough to cover but they can only garnish up to 60% of wages. 

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u/Virtual-Share-845 19h ago edited 19h ago

Yeah the guy you’re replying to is just a dumbass.

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u/Virtual-Share-845 19h ago

Are we just making shit up now? That is not how it works, they take a percentage of net income factoring in other mandatory payments. No one is paying 90% of their income in child support.

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u/Bluebawlz2023 19h ago

Multiple that by 4 kids. They are taking 240% of this guy's income! Holy shit! He'll never financially recover from this...

Lol no that's not how it works...

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u/Virtual-Share-845 19h ago

You’re so r/confidentlyincorrect it’s hilarious.

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u/upnflames 19h ago

I don't think you fully understand how child support works.

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u/Virtual-Share-845 19h ago

I don’t think YOU fully understand how child support works.

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u/Sharkbait_ooohaha 18h ago

Such great discourse.

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u/Virtual-Share-845 18h ago

And substantive commentary.

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u/Radioshack-Manager 18h ago

You're either a bot, an idiot, or a baby mama.

That's exactly how it works. Reporting you for misinformation.

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u/MyFiteSong 13h ago

Child support is never 90% of your income. Where do you people get this nonsense?

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u/joogabah 16h ago

But the society is a heterodictatorship that is strongly natalist. People aren't having lots of kids in a vacuum.

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u/LillieKat 16h ago

We aren't calling getting a divorce the consequences of your actions right? If anything getting divorce is the adult thing to do.

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u/Aggressive-Expert-69 15h ago

No we are calling having four kids the consequences of your actions. If you have that many kids while also having next to no prospects then I do not sympathize much with the exponential increase to the difficulty of your life.

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u/motherofhellhusks 15h ago

Do you not understand economic timelines? His kids are teens. Were you even cognizant of the economy around the time he was having children? It was nothing like it is today.

Jfc your comment is lacking in any sort of depth of thought.

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u/jleonardbc 15h ago

If the district doesn't pay a full-time employee enough to support oneself and one's children, then yes, I'd say it's their fault.

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u/BigJellyfish1906 15h ago

Consequences of what actions?

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u/Aggressive-Expert-69 15h ago

Having four kids and a shitty job

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u/BigJellyfish1906 14h ago

In other words “your fault for being poor.”

You are a terrible person.

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u/Aggressive-Expert-69 13h ago

Not your fault for being poor. Your fault for having unprotected sex while being poor.

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u/BigJellyfish1906 13h ago

What a completely brainless, edge-lord take. Your entire argument boils down to "if you're working-class, you should forfeit your right to be a human being."

You have absolutely no idea what this man's life looked like five or ten years ago. People lose good jobs. People get divorced. Families get hit with medical debt, or the economy crashes, and suddenly a middle-class family is thrust into poverty. Acting like people need to perfectly predict the next 18 years of economic stability before having kids is detached from reality.

And blaming him for having a "shitty job" is wild. If every single person working an essential, low-wage job just decided to stop having families, society would collapse in a week. Who do you think cleans the schools your kids go to? Who stocks the grocery shelves? You expect these people to keep society running, but you think they don't deserve a roof over their heads or the right to see their kids.

Slipping in a crude comment about "unprotected sex" isn't the clever economic point you think it is. It’s just cheap, cynical internet contrarianism. You’re hiding behind a keyboard kicking a desperate father who was trying to keep his kids in his life, all so you can feel a temporary sense of superiority. It’s not just heartless, it's just lazy.

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u/Darkstar-Lord 14h ago

if the consequences of your actions

normally, I'm 100% down with this. But we don't know the context here. The mother of the children can leave of her own volition and he can still be stuck with a sizeable child support bill.

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u/TheMireAngel 13h ago

up to 65% of earnings after taxes.
Thats right for every dollar you make up to 88 cents can be sent to taxes and child support xD absolutely raked.
Your paycheck should be 400 for the week? nah homie its 88$

Child support is in a weird state like Police officers, I dont want them to not exist because that would suck, but the current system isnt greatttttttttt

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u/Satori2155 13h ago

Why are you assuming its his actions? Seems like a decent enough guy maybe the ex is a demon

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u/Aggressive-Expert-69 11h ago

Bro nutted in a demon four times and Im supposed to feel bad for him?

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u/Jesssssiie 7h ago

He'd be paying the same if not more if his kids lived with him full time.

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u/Actual_Personality66 3h ago

The court takes into consideration your finances and generally does not make you pay more than you can afford. Also kinda seems like his kids are usually with the mom, which implies she has more money and therefore would be the one paying child support (if anyone is at all bc that's not always the case)

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u/Current_Finding_4066 1h ago

If child support is unbearable while having a job, there is something not right.

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u/Flimsy-Yellow-3268 18h ago

I mean how can we say consequences of his actions when we dont know what caused him to be single in the first place. When you pay child support youre basically paying for your ex to have a house while still having to provide a second home just to be allowed to see your kids. And then insane lawyers fees if you dont want to be completely taken to the cleaners

My dads second wife turned into a complete monster when their son was born. Then when they split she tried to not even let him see him, all the while he had to keep giving her money. When he turned 14 he went to the courts himself to get them to give my dad full custody, but funnily enough she wasnt required to pay him anything after that

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u/namans431 17h ago

Callous of you to presume that it was his fault in the first place. There are scenarios where the wife may have been the catalyst for the divorce and he's still on the hook for child support, not to mention giving up half his assets. Sometimes events in your life can spiral with one negative leading to another, when you may not necessarily have triggered it in the first place. It's better to show empathy and make no assumptions. I'm not justifying breaking the law, but I also assume nothing.

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u/sistemy_ 14h ago

"bros really do be like frfr iykyky"

you're gross as hell

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u/Throwaway-0-0- 14h ago

When your teacher in preschool forgets to teach you about empathy and you just never develop the basic framework of human interaction.

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u/Aggressive-Expert-69 13h ago

When your teacher in preschool forgets to teach you about personal responsibility and you go through life expecting people to accommodate you for the difficulty brought on by the consequences of your own actions.

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u/Throwaway-0-0- 8h ago

So having a full time job that's important to the safe and healthy functioning of children is irresponsible just because it doesn't pay you enough to support your family? Even though 70 years ago before the adoption of neoliberal policies outside of your control it would have?