Direct answer

Support is the non-resident parent’s money duty — custody defeat does not zero it, and there is no national percentage table.

Parents must support minor children (and adult children who cannot live independently in statutory cases). After divorce, the parent who does not have direct custody usually pays support. Amounts follow the child’s needs, local living costs and the payer’s means — courts use evidence, not a single national formula. Agreements can set a figure; courts can still adjust if it undercuts the child. Enforcement is a civil-judgment problem if unpaid. This is not the custody page and not the city ‘dilemma’ blogs.

The classification screen

4 questions before you choose the route.

This page identifies the right question and evidence. It does not determine the legal outcome on a reader’s facts.

01

Who has direct custody?

Payer is usually the other parent.

Who
02

What does the child actually cost?

School, medical, housing share.

Needs
03

What can the payer document as income?

Payslips vs cash business.

Means
04

Is there already an agreement or judgment?

Modify vs first order.

Order

Working rule: Map the regulated role before marketing or launch in China.

What changes the answer

The signal ledger.

These facts move the question beyond a label and into a product, money-flow and control analysis.

Signal
Ask the operating question
Why it changes the route
US 20% rule
Pasting a state guideline.
No national PRC grid.
‘You took the child, you pay’
Custodial parent as sole funder.
Wrong.
Cash job, zero income
Declared nil to avoid support.
Courts can impute.
Prepare before you escalate

Bring a compact evidence docket—not a pitch deck.

Give a compliance team or counsel the operating facts that reveal the perimeter.

01Child expensesSchool, medical, extra classes with receipts.
02Income proofTax, bank, company.
03Existing order or agreementWhat is already owed.
Common confusions

Questions people ask before they build.

Short answers for orientation. The right result can change with the service model and current rules.

Until what age?

Generally through age 18, with extra duties in defined continuing-education / disability cases. Confirm the current Civil Code application.

Can we waive support in a prenup?

You cannot contract the child out of support as if it were a car.

Primary authorities

Reviewed sources support orientation, not a fact-specific assessment.