When calculating child support in order to determine how much a non-custodial parent will have to pay the custodial parent each month, a judge will factor in several things. First and foremost, he or she will consider how many children the non-custodial and custodial parent have together. He or she will also determine whether the non-custodial parent is already paying court-ordered child support to any other custodial parents for children outside of the current relationship. The judge will consider how much money the non-custodial parent makes from his or her paycheck, and will factor in the ages of the children. The judge will then determine the amount of child support that must be paid each month to the custodial parent. In some cases, the non-custodial parent must pay an additional amount to help cover medical care for the children. Any individual who must attend child support court should consider hiring a child support attorney to represent them. Attorneys can help their clients understand their rights and options under the law.