I just asked a case worker the same thing,, my son doesn't pay support, and they both declined on paper in court for any,,, they both agreed on 50/50 support and visitation,,, however, in MN, if she would go on welfair, or need cash assistance, the county would petition the court to revisit the case and see if anyone could be held financially responsible??? but thats in MN.

there is away to have it removed,, the parent who is recieving it has to petition the courts in writing to remove it,, but what woman would ever do that????

Yes. In most states, unless the parent owed the child support is on state aid, the child support doesn't have to be enforced.

DHs BMs are all ordered to pay him child support, but we don't enforce it at all, and never will. We don't need it and it's not in his kids' best interest. And it's not enough to sweat about.

Especially if you have 50/50 and nobody wants to enforce it, it's pretty easy to set it up that way.

In MD, it's called "shared" custody if one parents has the child over 110 overnights with the child. In that case, child support is still awarded, but on a much lower scale. Also, in MD, you are not allowed to waive child support. It's not a parent right, it's a child's right to have that parent receive child support on his/her behalf. But, parents can make outside agreements and have a judge enforce them.

There are a number of factors in addressing this. First, child support is not mandatory unless welfare is involved. The child support guidelines are not mandatory. If support is ordered, it would be based on the difference in income, not solely on the income of one parent. However, in five states, it can be based on the difference in household incomes, meaning if a parent remarries, the total household income is used to calculate support.
http://Child_Support.Dads-House.org

Federal Child Support Enforcement Handbook for Non-Custodial Parents
http://ChildSupportRights.org

Finally, I would mention that James Cook, the father of Joint Custody was a friend for over 20 years. We lost Jim last year to cancer. He began lobbying for Joint Custody in 1974.