§ 656a. Adjustment for additional dependents

(a) As used in this section, “additional dependents” means any natural and adopted children and stepchildren for whom the parent has a duty of support.

(b) In any proceeding to establish or modify child support, the total child support obligation for the children who are the subject of the support order shall be adjusted if a parent is also responsible for the support of additional dependents who are not the subject of the support order. The adjustments shall be made by calculating an amount under the guidelines to represent the support obligation for additional dependents based only upon the responsible parent’s available income, without any other adjustments. This amount shall be subtracted from that parent’s available income prior to calculating the total child support obligation based on both parents’ available income as provided in section 655 of this title.

(c) The adjustment for additional dependents shall not be made to the extent that it contributes to the calculation of a support order lower than a previously existing support order for the children who are the subject of the modification hearing at which the adjustment is sought.

(d) A motion for modification may not be dismissed or denied solely because the adjustment for additional dependents results in an increase of child support of ten percent or less if the increase without the adjustment is greater than ten percent. (Added 1989, No. 220 (Adj. Sess.), § 19.)