How Do I....
How is the Income Tax Adjustment Calculated for Shared Residency? How is the Interstate Pay Differential Calculated? Where Can I Get Technical Support?
I entered my registration code but every time I run the program I have to re-enter it. How do I fix this? The problem is that you need to update your program to the latest version. Click here to go to the Updates page of the web site and obtain the latest update. You'll have to re-enter your registration code one more time to register it for good. How do I know what version of the calculator I am running? It's easy to check this. Run the program. Then click on HELP then click on ABOUT THE BRADLEY CALCULATOR. The engine version and the build number will be listed on this screen. You can check if this is the latest version by browsing to the Updates page on our web site.
Where Can I Get the Latest Version of the Calculator? Each version (e.g., version 17.x.x) is maintained with free maintenance releases as needed to implement program enhancements and changes in the law throughout the version year, which lasts until the next version (e.g., version 18.x.x) is released. The latest update for the current version of the child support calculator is always available right here on our website. All enhancements and program updates are posted here as soon as they are available, in a self-installing format. You can download the update in just seconds. The child support calculator program contains data which may not be current after December 31 of the original year of release (child support tables are revised periodically, income tax tables change annually, child care credit calculations, and similar data are periodically revised). Upgrades to the next version are available for registered users of the program at reduced rates, typically very early in the year. To ensure that the worksheets prepared by the program are accurate, you should upgrade your program to the current version annually. An order form is available for download here on our web site. Click here. For more information about our programming staff, click here. How can I move the program to a different computer? The license you purchased is tied to the specific PC that you initially loaded it on. Once that installation is licensed then the program license can be easily moved to another PC by a process we call "Transfer a license". For a full explanation of the transfer process click HERE (requires Adobe Acrobat). Why Does My Missouri Calculator Show #### as the Case Number? The program expects a case number which has at least one non-numeric character (such as DR 97 1234). If the case number actually is all numeric, try breaking it into two segments separated by a space (like 99 9999). How do I: Change the default court name, law firm name, address, etc? There are 2 different ways you can do this: 1) Each time the program is started, it automatically opens and reads the information contained in the "default.ks8" or "default.ms8"file located in the data file directory (C:\Program Files\Bradley\Support, unless you have selected a different location for storage of your data files). If you want to change the values which load as part of the default data (like the court name "In the District Court of [your county]"), just MODIFY the entries you want to change, SAVE the modified file as "default.ks8" or "default.mo8" using File|Save, and then CONFIRM replacement of the existing file when prompted. 2) You
can also open the Preferences screen and select the option "Apply settings
to previous worksheets when opened". This will overwrite what is in the
default.ks8 or
"default.mo8" file with what is in the preferences screen. Note that in the Kansas version, some settings, such as the calculation of the child support enforcement fee (and the type of fee), the location of the data file directory, and the "usual" or "default" settings for which pages you would like to print when you print the "default" pages are contained in the Preferences screen. These settings are loaded whenever you open the program (after the "default.ks8" file is opened), whenever you open a new worksheet, and whenever you modify a setting in the Preferences screen. How do I: Enter Information for a Worksheet? The data input area is divided into several tabbed "pages" containing a variety of "blanks" which you fill in to prepare the child support worksheet. You can move from one "blank" to another with the TAB key, or with the ENTER key which will finish your data entry, and move the focus to the next blank. You can move to the desired page by clicking on the tab, or by clicking on the "Next Page" button on the preceding page. The blanks on a particular page may vary with the type of data needed: text boxes, multiple choice "drop down" boxes, and numerical boxes. A four-function calculator may be invoked in the numerical blanks by clicking on the button at the end of the blank. The result of the calculation is "pasted" into the blank by clicking the button to close the calculator. Will the Calculator run on a Mac? Sure! (and so will DomBook)! All you will need is a copy of "Microsoft Virtual PC for Mac" (formerly by Connectix corporation) Your Mac will need OS 9.0 or greater, and Virtual PC for Mac, version 7.0 or better, but our experience shows that the Calculator runs very well. Click here for more information on the Microsoft Virtual PC for Mac software. How do I: Enter Information for a Worksheet? The data input area is divided into several tabbed "pages" containing a variety of "blanks" which you fill in to prepare the child support worksheet. You can move from one "blank" to another with the TAB key, or with the ENTER key which will finish your data entry, and move the focus to the next blank. You can move to the desired page by clicking on the tab, or by clicking on the "Next Page" button on the preceding page. The blanks on a particular page may vary with the type of data needed: text boxes, multiple choice "drop down" boxes, and numerical boxes. A four-function calculator may be invoked in the numerical blanks by clicking on the button at the end of the blank. The result of the calculation is "pasted" into the blank by clicking the button to close the calculator. If you enter an invalid value (e.g. try to enter "G" when the program requires "Y" or "N") the program will refuse to accept the entry and will signal your error with a beep.. You may enter a response in either upper or lower case. For example, the program will convert "y" to "Y." In some numerical data areas (spousal maintenance, income tax adjustment, enforcement fee), a suggested amount is displayed on the line below the blank. You may move to any blank with your mouse by single clicking (with your left mouse button) on the desired blank. You may then enter new data by using your keyboard or numeric keypad. When you press ENTER, the new data replaces whatever was in the blank. You can edit your entry (except in multiple choice blanks) by using the BACKSPACE key (removes one character at a time) and the DEL key. Other navigation keys such as left or right arrow move your cursor within a blank. If you click on an area where data input is not permitted (a "locked" or "protected" area, such as a number which the program calculates, like the child support amount or the total number of children in each parent's home), nothing will happen. You cannot leave a required blank empty. If you try to skip a required blank, you will be prompted or a "default" value will be entered. Many of your "default" values may be changed by accessing the "preferences" menu. How do I: Enter Negative Values? To enter a negative value like (900), you must use the "-" key located just above the "P" on your keyboard (not the one on the numerical keypad). The easiest way is to tab to the desired entry location, type the desired number and THEN hit the "-" key. Otherwise, you'll need to position the cursor to the left of the current value in the field before hitting the "-" key, and then type the number. Note that many of the field will not accept a negative number. Rest assured, however, that if the number represents an expense (e.g., daycare, health insurance) it will be subtracted appropriately even though you enter it as a positive value). What does the - key on the numeric keypad do? It increments a number (or a date) to a lower value (and, conversely, the + key increments a number to a higher value). Try it. How do I: Edit an Existing Worksheet? To edit an existing worksheet, move your cursor to the block containing the value you wish to change (using your mouse, arrow keys, or the TAB key), and then type the new value and press ENTER. To save the changes, use File/Save. To save the changes as a new file, use File/Save As... How do I: Change the Page Setup? In the Page Setup screen, accessed from the Print|Page Setup menu command, you can insert information for the text you want to appear in the Header or Footer on each printed page. Note that the header and footer text is centered in the top and bottom margins of the page. The margins are preset at 1" minimum. In the Kansas version the page header and footer can be controlled independently for mother and father output if there is a divided custody situation. How do I: Change the Printer Setup? You may use any printer which has been properly installed in Windows. Simply click on Print|Printer Setup, select a printer from the list of printers installed in Windows and, optionally, change the printer settings as desired. You can print the following parts of the worksheet: · The entire worksheet for filing (pages 1 and 2) · Page 1 of the worksheet only · Page 2 of the worksheet only · The data input area (the information you supply to the program) · The Income Tax Adjustment Detail page · The cover page (which summarizes the input and result) · The text of any help page, such as this one. You can also designate a "default" set of pages in the Preferences screen, and then print the default set with a single click in the Print menu. Note that the client data page cannot be included in your "default" print set, but the client data page can be printed from the Print menu whenever desired. Selecting a printer: To select a printer, printer settings and options, you use the Print|Printer Setup menu. Printing the Worksheet: To specify the pages to print, and to begin printing, you use Print. Printing a Help Topic: You can print any Help topic. To print a Help topic, display the topic in the Help window and click on Print or choose File|Print Topic (from the Help window File commands). How do I: Use the Multiple Family Application? Because the Multiple Family Application is only available in certain circumstances, the application is not calculated unless you do two things:
If a multiple family application is requested, the legend "Multiple Family Application" and an indication of the child support table used in the calculation appear on page 1 of the worksheet. How do I: Use the Extended Income Formula? To use the extended income formula in the calculation of child support, enter "Y in the "Extended Income Formula?" box on the "Income" tab. When the extended income formula is applied, the legend "Extended Income Formula" is printed on page 1 of the worksheet. How is the Income Tax Adjustment Calculated for Shared Residency? Traditional Residency: During traditional (primary) residency, the tax adjustment depends on whether the parent with primary residency shares the tax benefits. The non-resident parent always makes the child support payment, so if the nonresident parent receives all (or the greater share) of the tax benefits, the tax adjustment will be positive (thus increasing the child support paid and thereby "sharing" some of the benefits), whereas if the nonresident parent receives none (or a lesser share) of the tax benefits, the tax adjustment will be negative, reducing the child support paid by the nonresident parent. Shared Residency: Calculation of the income tax adjustment in a shared residency arrangement is more complicated. The official Guidelines provide that the adjustment is to be given to the nonresident parent in proportion to the nonresident parent's share of the total income of the parents. Since a shared residency is defined as one in which the residence of the child is shared in an "equal or nearly equal" fashion, the problem becomes "which parent shall be regarded as the residential parent for allocation of the income tax adjustment?" Since no guidance is provided in the guidelines for the resolution of the problem, we have used the same approach adopted by the Court in determining the monthly payment amount itself in shared residency situations - determine the difference between the obligations of the respective parties and divide by 2. During shared custody, however, there are two (alternating) residential parentscustodians, and the child support payment is always made by the parent with the higher child support obligation, so who gets the tax adjustment depends on whether the higher obligated parent receives more of the tax benefits than the other parent. THEREFORE, If the higher obligated parent has more tax benefits (receives the greater share of tax benefits), then 1. During higher obligated parent's residential period, the child support obligation of the lower obligated parent is reduced, and 2. During lower obligated parent's residential period, the child support obligation of the higher obligated parent is increased, but 3. Since higher obligated parent always makes the child support payment, it will be increased during the lower obligated parent residence period, and increased during the higher obligated parent residence period. Therefore, the Shared Custody child support payment is always increased by the average of the tax adjustment which would be applied during a lower obligated parent's residential month and the tax adjustment applicable during an higher obligated parent residential month. HOWEVER, If the higher obligated parent has less tax benefits, then 4. During higher obligated parent's residential period, the child support obligation of the lower obligated parent is increased, and 5. During lower obligated parent's residential period, the child support obligation of the higher obligated parent is reduced, but 6. Since higher obligated parent always makes the Shared Residency payment, it will be reduced during the lower obligated parent residential period, and reduced during the higher obligated parent residential period. Therefore, the Shared Residence payment is always reduced by the average of the tax adjustment which would be applied during a lower obligated parent's residential month and the tax adjustment applicable during an higher obligated parent residential month. How is the Interstate Pay Differential Calculated? To adjust for differences in costs of living in various locations around the country, simply enter the two letter postal designator for the state in which each parent resides. (e.g. KS for Kansas, MO for Missouri, etc.) A list of the designators appears in the "drop down" window for each parent. The Child Support Calculator will automatically look up the Average Annual Pay value for each state and compute the ratio between each state and Kansas, expressing the ratio as a percentage in the data input area. It also computes and displays the child support income value of each parent in Kansas-equivalent dollars, and uses the IPD adjusted income in the child support calculations. The Average Annual Pay value for each state is obtained from the data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The program is updated whenever new data is published. What Version of Windows Do I Need? The programs will run on any version of Windows except Windows 3.x (i.e.,Win 9x, Win2000, NT, XP, Me). Some difficulties have been reported with early versions of Windows 95, but we have users running the program on computers using Windows 95 with as little as 16 Mb of RAM (although the program runs VERY slowly with so little RAM). With all versions of Windows, you will want to ensure that all "critical updates" service packages available have been installed.It is required that Internet Explorer users install IE version 5.0 or better. Finally, if the program seems sluggish or RAM is limited, you may want to limit "multi-tasking" and close all unnecessary programs to reduce memory (RAM) load. Data (.KS8 or .MO8) FilesThe data you supply is saved in files with a .KS8 or .MO8 extension in the data directory (Kansas files use KS8 and Missouri files use MO8) Your data files (.KS8 or .MO8 files) are stored in the SUPPORT subdirectory of the BRADLEY directory. It looks like this: C:\Program Files\Bradley\Support\(.KS8 or .MO8 files) You can change the data directory to a different drive if you would prefer to keep your data (.KS8 or .MO8) files in a different location; for example, on a shared network directory. A handy organization of network stored files is to create a shared folder (perhaps "Clients") on one computer (perhaps the network "server"), with a separate subfolder for each client (e.g., "Smith, Joe" and "Smith, Mary", and so on), and then "point" the Child Support Calculator to the shared folder as the default directory for storage of data files. Then you can store the KS8 or MO8 files for a particular client in the client's folder with the other client files. The default directory selection is on the Preferences screen. The .KS8 or .MO8 file contains the data you enter (including any amounts you enter to override a formula result). The .KS8 or .MO8 file does not contain the formulas which calculate results based on your data, nor the extensive tax and support tables which are used in the calculations, nor any formatting (font, point size, margins, bold, italics, etc.). As a result , the .KS8 or .MO8 file can be substantially smaller (and therefore faster to load and save). IMPORTANT: Save your data under different file names for different clients, and for different versions or scenarios for the same client (e.g., "Mother employed part-time" and "Mother employed full-time" might be two different scenarios). Use such names as SMITH1.KS8 (SMITH.MO8) and SMITH2.KS8 (SMITH2.MO8) to distinguish between different files for the same client. Program FilesThe KS or MO program files are normally stored in the KS** or MO** subdirectory of the BRADLEY subdirectory in the PROGRAM FILES directory on your hard drive (normally your C: drive). ** indicates the year, for example the Kansas 2004 program is in the directory KS04. If you are running the networked version of the software the program files are located in the network drive that your network manager allocated for them. Technical support may be obtained by touching the F1 (help) key during program operation or by email to techsupport@bradleysoftware.com |
