Alft & Wilson Publishing
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Purchasing the program issues.
What does the program cost?
I cannot get PayPal to accept my credit card.
I have not received the Email with download and registration code information.
Firm Name/Registration Code Issues
Program is asking for firm name and registration code.
I need the 2009 registration code.
I cannot find the registration code Email.
I forgot what Email address I used to order the program.
Our registered firm name has changed.
A lawyer left our firm and/or a new lawyer joined.
How do we add a lawyer to our license?
We did not receive the Email with our registration code.
Registration Code and Unlock Issues
I need the 2009 program registration code. I have already paid for the 2009 version.
The program will not unlock and run.
I cannot find the registration code Email.
I forgot what Email address I used to order the program.
We did not receive the Email with our registration code.
Installation Issues
I need step-by-step instructions on how to install Iowa Support Master.
I am having problems installing on a Vista operating system.
How do I install on a computers not connected to the Internet?
How do I install on an Apple Mac?
The program will not unlock and run.
July 1 Guidelines
The July 1 "Child Support Guidelines."
Where do I get the July 1 version of Iowa Support Master?
Alft & Wilson mini-notes on major guidelines changes.
How do I know what version of Iowa Support Master I am using?
Popular Issues
Need advice on how best to calculate a support situation under the new Guidelines.
I entered cost of health insurance but it isn't showing up on my Form?
There are two children at issue but Form 1 is showing support for only one child.
Guidelines Selected Issues
How is "net monthly income" defined?
How is "gross monthly income" defined?
How to handle pre-tax paid health insurance and/or voluntary pension contributions.
What is the guideline method for computing taxes?
What is cash medical support and how is it applied?
We have a case with more than one child at issue but Form 1 is showing support for only one child!
Where is Form 2?
Where is alternate claiming the kids?
Where is split custody?
Where do I get a health insurance quote on the children?
Sample health insurance situations; our observations and suggested advice.
Who gets to claim the kids?
What is a "Qualified Additional Dependent?"
What is the value of the extraordinary visitation credits?
Need the new Wage Withholding Order
Explain how to impute income.
Spousal Support and Alimony Fields.
Form Issues
We have a case with more than one child at issue but Form 1 is showing support for only one child!
When I add a debt in the Affidavit of Financial Status, somehow it adds the debt back in as an asset.
Where is the new Wage Withholding Order?
Something isn't working right.
Calculation Issues
I have produced an "odd" result.
The kids have insurance at no cost, how do I stop cash medical support from calculating?
A party has the benefit of pre-tax payment for health insurance. How do I calculate this?
Common Program Operational Questions and Issues
I can't find my word processor - click and select "Run."
Do you have a recommended protocol to use the program?
Need a prior version of Iowa Support Master.
On-line calculator lawyer listing - modify, add or remove us.
How do I copy last years files into the new program?
Error code message.
Missing file vb40032.dll.
Update on computers that are not connected to the Internet.
What version of Iowa Support Master I am using?
How do I update the program on my computer?
How do I know what version of Iowa Support Master I am using?
Not so common questions.
Something isn't working right.
Sign up for our newsletter.
The story of Iowa Support Master.
I don't have a client.
My computer is smoking.
The program is asking for Firm Name/Registration Code
Have you purchased the 2009 program? If not, go here. If yes, go here. If you can't remember the Email address you used to order the program, please Email Us.
I enter health insurance for the children and it doesn't show up on the Form. Why?
This is because the cost is not reasonable under the guidelines. The support obligation is falling within the shaded area of the child support schedule. See Rule 9.14(2). Use the "Health/Cash Medical Info" button (found directly below the cash medical support fields in the program) to find out what the maximum reasonable amounts are. Always look at the Analysis Page warnings and precautions (at the end of the form). If you are CP and you enter in health insurance, you are causing cash medical support to go away. Experiment with different calculations.
You are trying to find some feature in the program.
Our Best Advice - NCP is NOT low-income
Follow these steps:
Plug in the income numbers for the parties.
Set Qualified Additional Dependents if there are any.
Fix who claims the kids the way you feel might be best for your client.
Fill in "Other Deductions" but do NOT enter a number in "Cost of Health Insurance."
Set the number of children for support.
Don't do anything else for now.
Click on the "Health/Cash Medical Info" button directly below the Cash Medical Support fields. This will tell you the maximum amount each party can pay per month and year in health insurance as far as what is a "reasonable" cost.
Notice that the program displays both child support AND cash medical support (assuming the NCP is not low-income).
Click on the Analysis button and print it.
PRINT THIS LIST. This is a Word document. You will be asked to open or save it. Your pick.
Examples:
I. One party has health insurance currently in place that is NOT available at reasonable cost. (As shown by the program calculator) (see item 5 above).
a. Enter the full child's share of the premium the party pays in cost of health insurance in the program. Iowa Support Master will calculate support and health insurance shares regardless of whether the premium is reasonable or not. Bring up the Analysis page and print it. (For our example, just assume the program says $150 is the maximum reasonable amount but in your case the party is paying $200 per month.)
b. Change the cost of health insurance to the "reasonable" amount the program says is the maximum amount. In our example, that would be $150. Pull up the Analysis page and print it.
Result: Compare your three Analysis pages. Depending on which client you have, you may want to go with the full boat health care cost and ask for a variation. Assume CP provides the coverage, NCP may find it cheaper to agree for CP to provide this and offer to pick up the excess monthly cost as it may cost less than paying cash medical support.
II. Neither party has health insurance currently in place covering the children.
Call BlueCross and get a quote. NCP should make every effort to secure insurance on the child as cash medical support may well exceed the cost of providing health insurance. So long as NCP can get a policy, CP will be apportioned a share of the cost of the health insurance costs.
How do you impute income?
Rule 9.11(4) provides: "The court shall not use earning capacity rather than actual earnings unless a written determination is made that, if actual earnings were used, substantial injustice would occur or adjustments would be necessary to provide for the needs of the child or to do justice between the parties."
Rule 9.5(10) provides: "To determine gross income, the court shall not impute income under rule 9.11 except: a. Pursuant to agreement of the parties, or b. Upon request of a party, and a written determination is made by the court under rule 9.11.
So, for example, if you have a NCP who shows actual earnings of $12,000 but you believe has the ability to earn $18,000. You may request that the court impute income as a substantial injustice would occur or adjustments would be necessary to provide for the needs of the child.
I need a client.
Be careful what you ask for.... have you heard that? Are you listed on our on-line calculator? If not, contact us and provide your name, Email address, website (if any) and phone number. Our on-line support calculator takes hundreds of hits from the Internet. Users can view the names of lawyers in their area who take child support cases. Of course you have to be a current user of Iowa Support Master to be listed.
How is "net monthly income" defined.
Rule 9.5 defines "net monthly income" as meaning "gross monthly income less deductions for the following:
> Federal Income Tax (calculated pursuant to the guideline method).
> State Income Tax (calculated pursuant to the guideline method).
> Social security deductions.
> Mandatory pension deductions.
> Union dues.
> Actual medical support paid pursuant to court order or administrative order in another order for other children, not the pending matter.
> Cash medical support order in this pending matter as determined by the medical support table in rule 9.12.
> Prior obligation of child support and spouse support actually paid pursuant to court or administrative order.
> Qualified additional dependent deductions.
> Actual child care expense while custodial parent is employed, less the appropriate income tax credit.
I prepared a Form in a case where there are two children in issue but support is calculated for only one child, why?.
Support has been calculated for two, you are looking too far down the Form. The new Guidelines require that support be calculated for when one of the children drop off the obligation. See below.
What does the program cost?
The price of Iowa Support Master is based on the number of lawyer users. There is no charge for law clerks, para-legals or secretaries. We discount the software based on multiple licensed users in the same law firm. 20 lawyers in the same building is not a law firm. If the lawyers share the same letterhead; trust account and office phone number, then we call that a law firm. If other lawyers in your office may not look through your files, then you are not in a partnership. You are not allowed to register the name of the law firm such as "Law Firm" or "Association of Lawyers." The firm must have a name associated with the lawyers in the firm such as "Smith Law Firm" or "Smith & Jones Law Office." Iowa Support Master Price List
What is a qualified additional dependent deduction?
Qualified Additional Dependent Deduction: the language has changed to reflect a "gender-neutral" application. A deduction for all parents with a legal obligation for support under Section 252A.3 is the rule. (Note that you cannot claim a QADD for a child for whom there is a prior order. See Rule 9.8(2)). See Rule 9.7 of the guidelines.
The fixed amount of deduction for QADD changed from a fixed dollar amount to percentages.
* 8% of the parent's gross monthy income (to a maximum of $800 per month) for one (1) child.
* 12% of the parent's gross monthy income (to a maximum of $1200 per month) for one (1) child.
* 14% of the parent's gross monthy income (to a maximum of $1400 per month) for one (1) child.
* 15% of the parent's gross monthy income (to a maximum of $1500 per month) for one (1) child.
* 16% of the parent's gross monthy income (to a maximum of $1600 per month) for one (1) child.
PayPal will not accept your credit card.
If you are having problems getting PayPal to accept your credit card payment, it is most likely because the address you are submitting does not match the billing address on the credit card. It is a fraud prevention measure. The address you provide with the credit card number must match the billing address for that credit card. This is a very infrequent issue and is usually solved by correcting the billing address. If all else fails, please call us for assistance.
You did not receive the Email of the download link and registration code.
There are a number of reasons why this may have happened. You have a spam filter that you may need to check. Your Internet service provider may have blocked our Email. Perhaps you didn't click the button at the end of the PayPal process. Please look at the list of issues at the top of this page for further assistance and if all else fails, please Email the details of your problem.
The program will not unlock and run.
Check these things first:
1. Are you installing the current year version of Iowa Support Master?
2. The firm name and code you are inserting, are they for the version you are installing?
3. The firm name, registration code and names of lawyers must be entered exactly as they appear in the registration Email we sent you.
If you have entered them correctly and exactly as they appear in the Email, the program will start up and run automatically. There is no button that you need to click to unlock the program. Enter the information correctly and the program will start running for you.
I am getting an error code.
Always save your work from time-to-time. You should completely shut down your computer at least once every few days. If the program produces an error code. Exit out and shut down the computer. After giving the computer plenty of time to load up, try going back into the program. See if you get the error code again.
When I list a debt in the "Less other debts" portion of the Affidavit of Financial Status, the program adds the debt back in as an asset.
You are inputting the debt in under "Market Value." Put the debt amount in under "Encumbrance" and this will fix your problem. It is possible that there may be market value in the debt item, that's why it is there. You don't need to put anything in under "market value" and if you do, it will show this as a plus, rather than a negative (encumbrance).
I got a goofy result.
What version of Iowa Support Master are you using? The latest version information is always posted here. Double check your version as the Guidelines changes were substantial and we update the program frequently. If your program is up-to-date, please compare your issue with the language of the new guidelines. Callers sometimes think they have an issue but it is simply the result of the language and/or forms from the new guidelines.
I cannot find the Email with our firm name/registration code.
The Email is sent to the Email address provided during the order process. If you did not receive it, check your spam filter. Some Internet provider companies block our Emails thinking they are spam. You may need to contact your provider if you do not have a local spam filter folder. We cannot help with this issue as the trouble lies with either your provider or your Email spam filters. Last case scenario, send an Email and advise what steps you have taken to check your spam filter and with your provider.
Before you print a form and especially before you hand that form over to opposing counsel, always check the Analysis Page.
Test this scenario in the program:
NCP income $24,394
CP income $250,000
Notice the support is $186.20 and cash medical is $101.64 for a total of $287.84 per month.
Now give NCP $1 per year of Union Dues - or simply reduce NCP income by $1 to $24,393.00
NCP income went down while support went up to $370.00 and cash medical is $101.64 for a total of $471.64, an increase of $183 per month.
Watch the numbers on the main screen and check the Analysis Page - frequently. At the very bottom of the Analysis Page you will see warnings and precautions.
You have a case involving two or more children but Form 1 is showing support for only one child.
You are looking too far down the Form 1. The new Form 1 requires that support be calculated and shown as children drop off the obligation. Look at this image:
Something is not working right.
Keep in mind that the program is in use by more than 2,000 users from judges to secretaries. If you think you have a calculation error, etc., changes are it rests with the method you are using to produce the error. When we make a mistake, our phone rings off the hook and we fix and update the program. Check the version of Iowa Support Master you are using. Always check for updates to the software. The latest version information is always posted here.
Look at the new guidelines. They are in the program - click the "Guidelines" link in the right margin. When in doubt, look at the guidelines. Forms have changed. Methods of calculation have changed. We continue to update our help so that our users become educated on these changes.
My computer is smoking.
Is it on break? Are you in a public building? Advise it that the Surgeon General has warned that smoking is bad for your motherboard.
How do we update computers not connected to the Internet.
Download the program and save it to a location where you can find it on your computer. You can then copy it to a portable USB device (cheap at Wal-Mart), burn it to a CD or transfer it to your other computers via your network.
Items are missing.
Form 2, Alternating the kids and split custody are not in the July 1 version yet. We are working on these items. The guidelines changes are substantial and we are working hard to get these items in.
Where is the new wage withholding order?
Click on "Free Forms" in the left margin of the program. Go to the "Free Forms" site. Scroll down to Family Law Forms. It is listed there. Or, you may click here to get the form. Save it to your computer and use it freely. Alft & Wilson grants all users of the current year version of Iowa Support Master a license to use their electronic forms. So long as you are a licensed user of Iowa Support Master, you may use this form.
Spousal Support/Alimony
Alimony/Spousal support paid to the current spouse in the pending action is not allowed as a deduction against NCP's gross income to arrive at net income for purpose of calculating child support. Spousal support actually paid by either party in a prior action, not the current action, is allowed as a deduction to arrive at net monthly income.
If alimony is ordered in the current action, you may want to deduct the alimony from income then add it back in under "other income" then uncheck the tax boxes. Example: NCP earns $100,000 per year but is ordered to pay CP $25,000 per year in alimony. Enter $75,000 as income for NCP then enter $25,000 in the "Other Income" field and uncheck the tax application boxes. This will add the $25,000 back in as income to NCP that is not subject to income tax. This will result in an increase in income to NCP because it frees up income tax against $25,000. Add $25,000 to CP as income. You may want to suggest a variance.
What are the values for extraordinary visitation?
They are set out in Rule 9.9. "If the noncustodial parent's court-ordered visitation exceeds 127 days per year, the noncustodial parent shall receive a credit to the noncustodial parent's share of the basic support obligation in according with" this table:
> 127 - 147 days = 15% credit.
> 148 - 166 days = 20% credit.
> 166 or more but less than equally shared physical care = 25% credit.
"[D]ays" means "overnights spent caring for the child." If NCP fails to exercise this visitation, the decree is subject to modification. See Rule 9.9.
How do I copy the files from the old program into the new program?
The new July 1 Guidelines
They are in the Iowa Support Master program. Click on the "Guidelines" link in the right margin of the main screen. If you do not have the program, click here for the July 1 guidelines pdf File.
How to handle pre-tax dollars paid for health insurance and/or voluntary pension contributions.
Rule 9.5 of the guidelines provides: "Net monthly income. In the guidelines the term "net monthly income" means gross monthly income less deductions...
Assume a party has gross income of $40,000 per year. The party pays $3,000 per year for health insurance that comes from pre-tax dollars (meaning that no taxes, state or federal, are collected from the $3,000 being paid for the health insurance). This results in state and federal taxes being calculated on $37,000 rather than $40,000. It is our opinion that the user must insert $37,000 into regular income and $3,000 into other income while un-checking the boxes so that taxes are not applied to this amount. The party would then insert the cost of the health insurance covering the child into the proper field in the program.
We believe this same scenario would apply for voluntary pension contributions that are invested with pre-tax dollars.
Are there cases or rulings in support of this we can cite? No.
Health insurance quotes.
Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Iowa
You can purchase a policy of insurance on the children without buying for the parent.
Website: http://www.wellmark.com/index.asp
Request a Quote: Click to request a quote. When you go to this page, put in the age of the oldest child as the "primary parent." You can secure a policy on a child for as little as $38 per month ($3,000 deductible and limit of 3 visits to the doctor per year with $30 co-pay. Perhaps this is a catastrophic plan?)
American Family Insurance
Website: http://www.amfam.com/insurance/ia/health/default.asp?getState=ia&sLine=health
Golden Rule/United Health Insurance
They sell health insurance plans for children without the need to insure a parent.
Website: http://www.goldenrule.com/
Request a Quote: Request a Quote Input the age of the child as the primary party. You do not need to supply the age of a parent to secure a quote to cover only the children.
Hawk-i
Publicly funded health insurance for children.
Website: http://www.hawk-i.org/en_US/index.html
Hawk-i is low cost or free care coverage. Problem is, it is not considered as "health insurance" since it is publicly funded. The amount the parent must pay is based on the family's income. Some families pay nothing while other families may pay between $10 and $40 per month. If the parties have the children covered by Hawk i insurance, NCP may be required to pay cash medical support unless NCP is a "low-income" parent. HIP-Iowa is another publicly funded program and the same rules would apply.
What is "Cash Medical Support" and how is it applied?
It is an add-on to child support. It is paid by the NCP to the CP in cases where neither party has available health insurance for the child at a reasonable cost. It can be paid by the CP in cases of shared physical care cases, otherwise, it is always paid by the NCP. It is based on the gross income of the NCP applied against the table in Rule 9.12(4). Example: 1 child. NCP grosses $12,000 per year, $1,000 per month. In the table, NCP must pay 1% of gross income in cash medical support.
The Rub! If you enter health insurance for the child for either party, this removes cash medical support. So if CP provides it, it won't calculate proportional shares because NCP is low-income. The court may order a variance just to make sure the children are covered.
We have had a lawyer leave our office and/or a new lawyer has joined.
If a lawyer left and no new lawyer has joined, you need do nothing. If a lawyer left and a new lawyer has come in, we can reconfigure your license to remove and replace the lawyer in the program. You would need to Email the details of the change you seek. We will then reconfigure your license and send the new registration information via Email. Once you receive the Email with the new code, go into the program; click on "About" then click the words "Reconfigure license..." within the program. If you are adding a lawyer to your license and your original license is less than the 5 or more lawyer license,
click here. If you bought the 5 or more lawyer license, Email the details of your change requested.
Various health insurance situations and our advice.
Determine if NCP is a low-income wage earner? You want to know this because low-income parents will not be required to contribute toward health insurance (variance possible under rule 9.11). A low-income NCP may be ordered to contribute cash medical support (variance?). Keep reading.
Rule 9.11(2) provides: "[a]djustments are necessary to provide for the needs of the child or to do justice between the parties, payor, or payee under the special circumstances of the case." [emphasis added] We believe this language gives the trial court much broader discretion to vary from the Guidelines.
Low Income Thresholds - Net Monthly Income - NCP
1 child - less than $1,551 per month (Approx. Gross $24,370 per year)
2 - less than $2,001 per month (Approx Gross $30,230 per year, each claims 1)
3 - less than $2,251 per month (Approx. Gross $32,570 per year, NCP claims 2, CP claims 1)
4 - less than $2,301 per month (Approx. Gross $33,420 per year, each claims 2)
5 or more - less than $2,351 per month.
Does either party have health insurance available which covers the child? If the insurance is a private plan, such as Blue Cross or Golden Rule or American Family, etc., then you must determine what portion of the cost of the plan is attributed to covering the child. This portion is referred to in the new Guidelines rules as "Cost of Children's Health Insurance Premium." (Also see 252E.1A(2)(c), which defines premium cost for a child.) Subtract the cost of a single plan from the cost of the plan which covers the child and this will give you the cost to cover the children. It makes no difference that other children may be included in the plan, ie. NCP has the coverage for a family but it also includes coverage for a child from a previous marriage, this is ignored. If the children are covered under a state subsidized plan, this is NOT health insurance. See more below.
YES - CP is low-income and has public funded coverage. Examples are Hawk i and HIP-Iowa. This is health insurance but it is subsidized by the state. As such, you are not allowed to indicate that this is a health insurance expense even if the low-income parent pays a premium to Hawk i. NCP may be required to pay cash medical support, unless NCP is also low-income. If cash medical support is ordered, it should be assigned to the State of Iowa. If you represent NCP, you may want to look at buying coverage on the children as your client will be paying cash medical support and it may cost more than a private plan. BC/BS and Golden Rule have plans that cover only the children. BC/BS has a plan that costs $38 per month for one child.
YES - NCP is low-income. CP is not low-income and has health insurance on the child. NCP is not required to contribute toward the cost of health insurance. CP is not allowed to indicate the cost of the child's health insurance in calculating child support. Cash medical support in a minimal amount may be ordered (variance?). The court must still order that health insurance be provided, however, the amount of contribution of the low-income NCP will be $0 unless the court orders a variance.
YES - One parent has the children covered under a health insurance plan. Once you determine the cost of covering the child, insert this value into Iowa Support Master as the cost of covering the child. Iowa Support Master will determine if the cost of the child's health insurance premium a reasonable cost per the Guidelines. You must enter all of the income information for the parents. If the cost is not "reasonable," keep reading.
Section 252E.1A(2) provides that a health benefit plan is "available" if it is accessible and the cost of the plan is reasonable. 252E.1(1)(a & b) defines "accessible" as (a) the plan doesn't have service area limitations or provides an option not subject to service area limitations or (b) the plan has service area limitations and the dependent lives within 30 miles or 20 minutes of a network primary care provider.
YES - One parent has the children covered under a health insurance plan at NO cost. Unless you enter a number under the cost of covering the child, the program will calculate cash medical support on the NCP. If you leave "Cost of Health Insurance" blank, the program will auto-calculate cash medical support. Click on "Calculation Overrides" in the left mini-screen of the program. You can change cash medical support to $0 to prevent the program from adding it into the Forms.
YES - Both parents have health insurance coverage on the children. Plug in the cost of health insurance on the child for NCP and put $0 in the box for CP then run a Form 1. Next, plug in the cost of health insurance on the child for CP and give NCP $0 as cost then run Form 1 again. Compare your results (variance?).
YES - But cost of child's heath insurance is not reasonable. Guidelines Rule 9.12(4) provides the "Medical Support Table" which Iowa Support Master utilizes to determine if the cost of the child's health insurance is reasonable. The court may order the health benefit plan if "that parent [singular] consents or fails to object to the entry of such an order." The parent who wishes to provide health insurance that is not reasonable has the discretion to decide this. It is important for you to know whether the cost is beyond reasonable because if the court orders your client to provide it, and your client does not knowingly consent or fails to object to the court ordering it, then your client will pay it. If your client consents to it, it is unclear what happens if the other parent objects. See 252E.1A(2)(a)(2). The other party may object and the court may allow a variance.
YES - But the parent providing the coverage on the child has kids from a prior marriage that are also covered under that plan. Makes no difference. If single coverage is $300 and family coverage is $500, we have $200 going to cover the kids. If the parent has four kids from a prior and one in the current case, you still plug in $200. The other parent may want to seek a variance IF the cost of the health insurance would cost less if only one child were covered.
NO - Health insurance coverage is not available. [Be warned! Call around to various insurance providers to secure price quotes as it may cost NCP less money in the long run as he/she will be required to pay cash medical support (unless low-income/variance).] Blue Cross/Blue Shield (800-722-1795).] If health insurance is not available at reasonable cost, NCP will be ordered to contribute cash medical support. Cash medical support is in addition to the payment of uncovered medical expenses.
Health insurance is an add-on. It or an award of cash medical support is required. Even if the NCP is low-income and CP provides health insurance, it must be ordered, it's just that the court will order NCP to pay $0. The cost of health insurance OR cash medical support will be deducted from wages or paid by the parent held responsible by the court. See Rule 9.14(5)(a). If CP is on state assistance, these funds may well be assigned to Iowa.
Shared Care Cases: In shared care cases, the health insurance is not an add-on if either parent's net income is in the shaded area of the schedule. Rule 9.14(3) line H of Joint (equally shared) Physical Care Method of Child Support Computation grid. In cases of split or divided physical care, 2 separate calculations are run [Rule 9.14(4)] and in those calculations only 50% of the health insurance premium is used in each calculation under Rule 9.14(5)(d).
Cash medical support is paid by the NCP when we are addressing a situation of custodial and non-custodial divorce. Even though there is a determination of what the CP's cash medical support will be, CP does not pay cash medical support. In the event of joint physical care, both parents can be assessed a cash medical support obligation if no children's health insurance is ordered. In joint physical care cases, both parents are ordered to pay support and the amounts of support are offset as a method of payment. Since both are ordered to pay support, both could be ordered to pay cash medical support in a joint physical care case.
Low-Income NCP providing health insurance. We are uncertain at this time how to handle the situation where a low-income NCP provides health insurance that is not reasonable. A user has requested an override function so that medical insurance paid by a low income parents would affect the calculations. We are assuming the user was hoping for a simple dollar for dollar reduction in either net income or child support when a low income ncp pays medical insurance for a child. As for discretionary items with the court, Iowa Support Master cannot calculate or predict variances dependent on the court.
Who gets to claim the kids?
That is up the parties and, of course, the final decision rests with the court. Rule 9.6(5) provides: "Each parent shall be assigned one personal exemption for the parent. The custodial parent shall be assigned one additional dependent exemption for each mutual child of the parents, unless a parent provides information that the noncustodial parent has been allocated
the dependent exemption for such child. In cases of joint (equally shared) or split physical care, the dependent exemption(
s) for the mutual child(ren) of the parties shall be assigned according to the order or decree establishing the joint or split care arrangement." Remember that the court has a great deal of discretion to order a variance from the guidelines.
Our firm name changed.
Please send us an Email and provide complete details. We will change your registration code and send you a new Email with the new firm name and registration code. When you receive that Email, you will have to click on "About" on each computer then click the blue link that says "Reconfigure your license." This will erase the registration code. You may then register the software under the new firm name with the code provided.
A party has insurance covered by pre-tax income.
Example: NCP earns $3,000 per month. From that $100 is paid for health insurance in pre-tax dollars. Put $2900 in as your client's monthly income. Put $100 per month in as "Other Income" and uncheck all boxes.
Need the new July 1 Wage Withholding Order.
It is found in the free forms area of Iowa Support Master. Click on the "Free Forms" links and look under "Dissolution Forms."
How do I update the program?
Open Iowa Support Master and follow the instructions:
We are getting an error message saying file vb40032.dll is missing.
Cause: someone perhaps removed a program from your computer and it took this file with it. Not to worry, follow these instructions:
1. Download the file.
2. When asked where to save the file, save it to C:/windows/system.
How do I stop cash medical support from calculating?
Click on "Calculation Overrides" on the main screen, left menu window.
We did not receive the Email with our registration code.
Our server sends the registration information to the Email address you provided when you ordered the software. You should check your spam filter. It can be caught in the spam filter of your Email software or by a spam filter utilized by your Internet service provider. For example, if you use Mediacom and Outlook - check your outlook spam folder. If it isn't there, you may need to check your Mediacom online Email account to see if they blocked it from getting through. Gmail uses spam filtering as well but users can see check the "Spam" folder. Make sure you know where the download Email was sent and request another download Email. If you enter the proper Email address, it will be automatically sent to you by our server. If you still have problems, please call us.
Please modify, add or remove me/firm from the on-line calculator listing.
Please send us an Email and please include directions on what you wish to do.
Gross monthly income defined.
Gross monthly income is not defined in the Guidelines. The Guidelines provide what it does not include:
> Public assistance payments.
> Earned income tax credit.
> Imputed income under rule 9.11 except "pursuant to agreement of the parties, or .. upon request of a party, and a written determination is made by the court under Rule 9.11." See Rule 9.5(10).
The Guideline method of computing taxes.
Rule 9.6 provides a specified method of computing taxes. These are the "uniform rules:
> An unmarried parent shall be either "single" or "head of household" filing status. If the parents is a custodial parent of one or more of the mutual children of the parents, he/she shall file as "head of household."
> A married parent shall be assigned married filing separate status.
> If the parents have joint (equally shared) physical custody of their mutual children, an unmarried parent shall be assigned head of household filing status and a married parent shall be assigned married filing status.
See Rule 9.6.
How do we transfer files from last year's program to this year's program?
1. Click on "Client Files" in the right menu of ISM.
2. Look at the bottom of the files list box for these words in blue: "Click Here to Copy Previous Year Files"
Call us.
Before you call, please look through the lists above for the problem you are experiencing. If you cannot find your issue, and you are not in a pinch, please Email your issue. If all else fails, call 888-805-0363 (Patrick Wilson) or 800-735-9426 (Mike Alft).
Our recommended program protocol.
Alft & Wilson Publishing has attempted below to assimilate a method to the madness. If you have any questions or concerns, please send us an Email.
1 child - less than $1,551 per month (Approx. Gross $24,370 per year) 2 - less than $2,001 per month (Approx Gross $30,230 per year, each claims 1) 3 - less than $2,251 per month (Approx. Gross $32,570 per year, NCP claims 2, CP claims 1) 4 - less than $2,301 per month (Approx. Gross $33,420 per year, each claims 2) 5 or more - less than $2,351 per month.
The story of Iowa Support Master.
Alft & Wilson Publishing first published Iowa Support Master in 1994. Since then, we have grown from 85 users to more that 2000. Lawyers from Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota, Illinois, Missouri and Iowa use Iowa Support Master to calculate child support. More importantly, Iowa judges depend on Iowa Support Master to calculate child support.
Michael Alft is a software programmer. He lives in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Patrick Wilson is an attorney and lives in Des Moines, Iowa.
In 1994, Alft came to see Wilson about a software legal issue. At about the same time, Wilson had been working on designing a spreadsheet that would calculate child support pursuant to the Guidelines. Upon learning that Alft was a software programmer, they began working together to produce a program that has become Iowa Support Master.
We owe a great deal of thanks to many judges, lawyers, legal assistants, secretaries and the folks at Iowa Help Desk. Suffice it to say that we would not have the success we have had were it not for the professionalism of those who are engaged in family law in Iowa. Special thanks do go out to Judge William Thomas; Judge Robert Hutchinson; Judge Carl Peterson; Judge Suzy Larson-Christianson; Iowa lawyers Jim Meade, Dan Bray, Chad Keypros, Joe Bertroche, Stephen B. Jackson Sr., Stephen B. Jackson Jr., and Deb Bowen, legal assistant. If I left you out, let me know. We know there are many.
How do I install on an Apple Mac computer?
Our advice:
1. Buy Windows XP (recommended because it is the most stable of the Windows operating systems). If you do not have a copy, get on eBay. Just make sure you are buying the full version, Home Edition, Windows XP. Don't worry about SP1, SP2, etc. You can search eBay for a copy. eBay has it's risks so if you find it there, make sure the eBay seller has an good reputation. The other alternative, which is what we recommend, is NewEgg.com. Click Here to purchase Windows XP Home from NewEgg.
2. Buy VMware Fusion. These are software programs that you install on your Mac and which then allow you to install Windows XP Home on your Mac. Cost is around $80 for either program and you can download them direct from their makers. We use VMWare Fusion but you take your pick, both work.
Depending on your version of Apple operating system, you may have a program called "Boot Camp" installed. You may use "Boot Camp" to install Windows XP then Iowa Support Master. Follow the instructions on your Apple computer if you use Boot Camp.
3. Install VMWare Fusion on your Mac Computer. During installation, you will be given messages as to when to insert your Windows XP Home CD into the drive. Once you have installed Fusion, you should then start Windows XP.
4. Using Windows Internet Explorer on your Mac, download Iowa Support Master to your desktop. Alternative: if you have the program on a CD, just insert the CD into your Mac CD drive and the files should appear on your desktop. Click, drag and drop them onto your Windows XP desktop which should be running via Fusion.
5. Double click on the install file on the desktop and you are off to the races.
How to install the program on computers that are not connected to the Internet.
* Network: simply move the download file to those computers through the network.
* No network: If the download computer has a CD burner, burn the file onto a CD then take it and install it on the other computers.
* USB storage device. If you don't already have one, go to Wal-Mart of any office type store and purchase one. Our download file will fit on the smallest USB drive sold.
If your computer has a CD burner, place a blank CD-R in that drive. Right click on the ISM installation file that you downloaded to your desktop and select "Send to.." and direct the file to your CD drive. You will then "burn" the file to the CD. When it is finished, take it and install it on the other computers.
Installation problems on a Vista computer.
Try this:
* Try running the Iowa Support Master as an "administrator" to see if it works that way. To do this, right click on the icon you normally use to start the program and then left click "Run As Administrator". You may be required to give a password. If the program runs correctly then you can continue to use the program this way or go on to the next step.
* Use an administrative login to change the permissions of the Iowa Support Master application folder. This can be done for just your login or for all logins. If you do not know how to do this, you need to use the first solution above.
Why is this happening? At installation the Iowa Support Master required an administrative login. Those who use the program after that either have permission to use it or have an administrative login.
When you log into your computer, you received permission to do some tasks but not other tasks. A program usually has the same permissions as the person who uses the program. Permissions are used to increase security on your computer or network.
Whoever uses the Iowa Support Master needs to be able to create, change and delete files within the Iowa Support Master folder. You are viewing this web page because you do not have enough computer permission to perform these basic tasks.
If you are having permission problems, it is because of your login. Currently, your login does not give the Iowa Support Master permission to create, change and delete temporary files and other data files necessary for the program to function. These activities are routine, performed in the background, and only within the Iowa Support Master folder.
Many computer and network environments are restrictive by default. Permissions need to be increased manually after installation.
If you are using Vista, you may find this operating system more restrictive than previous versions of Windows.
