Regular overtime is income, unless a court
determines that it will not be
available in the future. Overtime payments due to
Hurricane Andrew were not included in the
calculation of income for determining child support
because the overtime was temporary and short-lived.
Regular and continuous bonuses are included as
income. However, you have to examine the nature
of bonus to determine if it qualifies as "income" under
the statute. Bonuses that are speculative and
uncertain are generally not included as income.
Bonuses that are paid upon reaching specific sales
quotas are included as income. A one-time signing
bonus paid to a professional athlete in order to avoid
the NFL's "salary cap" was found to be income.
Next month I will discuss school and camp fees in
addition to child support.
