Who decides how much child support to pay in Michigan?

The Friend of the Court, or the court itself, will require the parties to produce tax returns or verified statements of income. If parties are self-employed, then the court will decide what expenses are justified. If parties are not employed at all, the court will decide if they have “unexercised ability to earn” and then perhaps “impute” the income they could, in fact, earn. Once income is known, then the Child Support Guidelines (a statewide, mandatory computer formula) is applied.