Virginia’s statutory child support guidelines were enacted in 1988 in response to federal law, which required state guidelines to be reviewed at least once every four years “to ensure that their application results in the determination of appropriate child support award amounts.”
The original obligation amounts used in the Virginia guidelines were based on economic data from the early 1970s—thus, until this year’s Session of the General Assembly, the guidelines did not reflect the current cost of raising children.
The changes to the guidelines will take effect July 1, 2014. The full statutory amendments can be found here, and the Report of the Virginia Child Support Guideline Review Panel can be read here.
If you are currently receiving child support, you should contact an attorney to determine whether the amount should be modified under the new guidelines beginning in July.
