Do I have to pay child/spousal support?

Maybe. Child support is paid by the non-custodial parent to the custodial parent and is based on a formula determined by the Virginia legislature. If you and the other parent share custody of your children, child support takes the number of days each of you has custody into consideration. The requirement to pay spousal support is determined in a different way – by evaluating a number of factors listed in a specific provision in the Virginia Code. Generally, a spouse pays support if he/she earns significantly more money than the other spouse and the other spouse needs support upon which to live. Many other factors are also important, including the lifestyle of the parties during the marriage, whether one spouse contributed to the other spouse’s ability to earn by staying at home and caring for the children, and other matters.