What would be considered "Normal" child support in Udon

[semper48]

Not talking about extras like school stuff or dentist. Just milk, pampers, nanny and clothes for a one year old. Paying for a good health insurance (hospital costs) extra. Mother works full time. Dont want to be cheap, but dont want to be a fool either. Let the numbers flow guys.

[Aardvark]

What's a Monthly Wage in Udon ?? Then again, what do you want for your Child ??

[semper48]

What's a Monthly Wage in Udon ?? Then again, what do you want for your Child ??

A very politically correct answer. It costs x amount to maintain a child. Anything over that goes towards the mother. That can be a higher sum or a lower sum, depending on how well one wants to do towards the mother. That is an entirely different question.

My wife started asking for 50.000 which told me that fairness was not of much importance. Now she is settling (her suggestion) on 15.000. It is not too much. But it is about a teachers salary (in a villiage).

Monthly payments of 15.000 are ok. but having said that the figure is double what child support is in my home country.

Wife says it is for the kid, and to help her out a little too. Fair enough.

[rjj04]

I don't know where you are from, but in most states in the USA child support is based on more than just the needs of the child it is also based on what the father earns. The more you earn the more you pay. So, for some of us it was closer to 100,000 THB per month... so 15,000 seems like a deal to me. That being said, "normal" child support around here often involves the Thai father's sudden desire to become a monk, thus avoiding all future responsibility. So, since you are trying to be fair and take care of your child, that is certainly above normal already. IMHO

[FrazeeDK]

if it's about the child then what type of rights do you have as the father to be in the kids life other than sending money? Visitation, mandatory consultation on schooling, moving to another area of Thailand, taking the kid out of the country?? Sending 15,000 baht a month for child support could mean that the mother merely takes it to support her extended family and the kid gets next to nothing of benefit.. Better to set up a minimal support payment for daily needs and then have some type of bank account in Thailand where you can deposit money for the child's future.. An account where your signature and the mother's signature are needed to withdraw any cash..

[rjj04]

Better to set up a minimal support payment for daily needs and then have some type of bank account in Thailand where you can deposit money for the child's future.. An account where your signature and the mother's signature are needed to withdraw any cash..

Excellent idea. It wouldn't fly in the USA, but here, it seems at least that the law is not so skewed toward the mothers side, so it might be possible to get that agreed to.

[GT93]

I think 15,000 is a lot for a baby or toddler unless a nanny needs to be paid from the 15,000. You mentioned a nanny.

I support a 15 month old step-grand-daughter and I'd laugh if my Mrs. even suggested an extra 10,000 a month to support the adorable grandchild. Of course, it will get more expensive as the child ages. How about setting a low regular payment and agreeing to pay for more expensive items as they arise (e.g. a push chair, a car seat, pre-school fees etc.)?

I'd agree with the comments that if you provide too much money for the child that the money would then probably get diverted to meet other family members' needs. I think 15,000 baht is a lot (unless you are making tremendous money). One of my step-daughters was working in a movie theatre in Udon for a while recently and she was making 6,000 baht a month.

[rick]

Some figures. Per month, about 1,000 baht for disposable nappies, if you buy in bulk and cheaper ones; and a similar figure for milk. Clothes - a variable figure - could be very little. Certainly over a year 1,000 baht a month would be more than enough. Throw in 1,000 baht for anything else and you have 4,000 baht a month. But a nanny would cost about 8,000 baht a month for say 6 days a week. But never heard of nannies being used much, usually Grandmother or Aunt. Certainly anything over 15,000 baht for everything is purely a money making enterprise.

[jai yen yen]

The average minimum wage is 300 baht a day, so maybe 9 or 10,000 per month. People survive on that but it isn't easy. I asked my Thai wife what she thought would be reasonable for child support, she said 4 or 5 thousand baht per month. As they say in Thailand, up to you. You could spend a lot more but it would not be necessary. Later on a good private school could up the cost if you wanted to do that which is something you could pay directly yourself and know where the money is going and really benefit the child as well.

[GT93]

There would be lots of self-employed people earning less than the minimum wage. I think 9,000 to 10,000 baht is sadly probably better than a lot of people do. It's still really tough for a lot of Thai people. I guess that's why there's all the pawn shops.

I recall some years ago Stickman saying 5,000 baht a month was enough child support for a child on a farm. I think he meant child rather than a baby or toddler. If the original poster is earning good money in farangland then he can comfortably beat this but as other posters have mentioned, any surplus will go to other family members.

[Philrjones]

Hi,

I have 3 children to support and send the wife an amount each month when I'm away working. It really depends on the age of the children.

For sure a young one (nappies, milk, bottles, clothes etc) isn't too much but probably more than you think. Yes you can buy the cheaper nappies - but they feel and act cheap too! I remember a good sized pack of good nappies costing around 1000 baht or so from Ngee Soon which would probably last a couple of weeks. Bear in mind with nappies that young ones can go through 4 or 5 a day. The milk isn't cheap either if you want the proper good stuff and they go through it like we do a cold beer on a hot day.

For 1 kiddie I reckon 15,000 is ok. I currently give my wife over 3 times that amount, but that's for 3 and they're all at school so there's school uniforms, books, lunch money etc, never mind ordinary clothes, shopping, petrol. Also the wife puts away money for each of them in their own bank account (plus her own savings) for the future which is great.

Good luck
Phil

[Bouph]

[Drunk Monkey]

whilst i agree with the idea of child allowance i am very suprised at the differential in amounts paid and how some actually think and pay for their overseas kids .. the various posts echo this .. but ...surely this must related to the income and financial status of the parent who is paying as to how much he/she can afford and their mindset / responsibilities towards their offspring .....then again add on the difference when a parent is based in another country and it all becomes an even bigger problem with untruths n deceipt thrown into the equation .

OMO

[Philrjones]

I agree with both DM and Bouph in a way. Other things - Govt schools don't cost too much but our current one is a private one for 28,000 baht a term per child (Pattanapanya School). For a young baby you don't have to consider that.

If there's a scooter to pay for it's 40k to 50k outright or around 2k a month. Probably an amount to help her parents too (T.I.T). Cars are around the 10k per month on the drip.

Yes it comes down to your income, the number of people you're supporting, how much you think is reasonable to provide a decent life and also I think, how much trust there is on the wife to be truthful on expenses and savings.

If you give 5,000 a month for her and baby it will be eaten up by nappies (around 1000 x twice per month), milk (700 x twice per month), baby clothes etc in no time. Sure she can survive on it but it's not much.
Cheers
Phil

[GT93]

The average income is usually quite a bit higher than the median income as high income earners distort averages. Does an average wage capture Thai farmers' incomes (some of the self-employed)? Bangkok wages are also probably a fair bit higher than Isan wages. I'd like to think Thais are earning that much. Buddha knows how the black economy gets included in these calculations too.

I think 5,000 baht a month is way too low for a half farang toddler and some kind of top up scheme as has been suggested would be preferable.

Personally I hold to what at times doesn't seem a popular theory - a clever Thai kid at a good government funded schools with good but not financially poor parents or a parent has Thailand at his door. Private education isn't necessary. It's the same in my country but perhaps not in all countries.

I think the original poster will have to work out his answer as his child grows up. There would usually be lots of requests for special expenses to be met. If I was in his position I'd prefer the family had a car for the child and I'd finance that if need be.

[FrazeeDK]

Nappies?? I've got a number of relatives that I've watch raise kids out in the village.. They never wore nappies.. Most ran around pantless until they were toilet trained... Prior to walking they would wear a cloth "nappy" or just shorts and get cleaned when they did their business.. Country folk would consider a 1,000 baht a month for disposable nappies utterly ridiculous..

As for setting up a controlled bank account, if you do it, make sure you have on-line access to monitor it for any unauthorized disbursements...

[fatbob]

Raising children properly costs money, when it's your own flesh and blood you tend to do it properly. Some comments are rubbish, eg FrazeeDK, Ran around the village pantless until toilet trained, total BS, did they have sh-t all down there legs? I think not, in my village which is poor the children are still looked after with care.

The monthly costs with an infant can mount up, first you have milk, our son drank 'Hi Q', that cost us about 2,500 baht per month, he had a big appetite for milk, then there are the normal costs of food and clothes. Nappie's ran to about 2,000 baht per month, I'm afraid I wasn't going to let him run around covered in key! You have medical expenses, vaccinations etc and then health insurance, children are expensive if you want them covered, our son has Bupa hospital coverage, not outpatient and that cost's 48,000 baht per year, outpatient would run that up another 20,000 baht per year.

When school starts that can be expensive, an international school at the cheapest is about 70,000 baht per year up to 800,000 baht per year in Bangkok, Udon about 400,000 baht per year for a good school, plus uniforms, transport, meals, excursions and activities. Your child will want an 'Ipad', toys, bikes, games a furnished bedroom, a pram, car seat,,,,,the list is endless, divide it up by 12 and you will have your monthly cost's, anyone here saying they are cheap obviously do not have any children of their own.

[rick]

Well, you can always buy the best, but let's face it the MAJORITY of children in Udon are brought up on less than 5000 baht a month, and do not seem to be that deprived. I probably spend a bit more than that, but not much - Have to all live on 50,000 baht a month and nearly half of that is bills - mortgage, power, water, insurances, car etc. And most of the rest is food.

[jackspratt]

Nappies?? I've got a number of relatives that I've watch raise kids out in the village.. They never wore nappies.. Most ran around pantless until they were toilet trained... Prior to walking they would wear a cloth "nappy" or just shorts and get cleaned when they did their business.. Country folk would consider a 1,000 baht a month for disposable nappies utterly ridiculous..

My experience also - seems to make sense. =D>

When I was raising kids in Oz, there were no disposable nappies. The kid would -----/piss in a re-usable cotton nappy, and you would chuck the nappy in a bucket of nappisan, and then wash it, and stick it on the clothesline. Rinse, and repeat.

That doesn't happen here - for those who have the money, they pay exhorbitant amounts for environmentally unfriendly "disposables". The smart ones (generally in the villages) let the kids run around, and allow them to do their 1s and 2s as it comes naturally most of the time. I have never seen a kid running around with "----- down there (sic) legs".

Eventually, they become toilet trained, having saved their parents a fortune in the meantime, and having avoided clogging up the local tip with stuff that may not fully decompose for 500 years.

http://www.australianscience.com.au/env ... ur-planet/

But I guess it gets back to your personal understanding of "properly".

[fatbob]

When I was raising kids in Oz, there were no disposable nappies. The kid would -----/piss in a re-usable cotton nappy, and you would chuck the nappy in a bucket of nappisan, and then wash it, and stick it on the clothesline. Rinse, and repeat.

let the kids run around, and allow them to do their 1s and 2s as it comes naturally most of the time. I have never seen a kid running around with "----- down there (sic) legs".

And Mr Greeny, where doe's the sh-t end up? Down the grey water system and in the open street drainage or out your discharge pipe over your land with everyone getting sick, tried the reusable cloth nappies, there good for cleaning my motorbike.

I just don't see naked children running around Phen taking a sh-t any where they like, your comments Mr Spratt seem to always be in your dream world.

My son will have the best possible diet I can afford to give him, followed by the best medical should he become sick, will I go to the local hospital at Phen, no, as far as education is concerned he will also get the best I can afford, I gave the OP some numbers to work with as he requested based on personal experience, again Mr Pratt you are on your high horse of trying to be Mr Issan with an axe to grind, I didn't work for the past forty years to live like a village farmer, been there done that.