A father appealed to the Pennsylvania Superior Court from the Court of Common Pleas order to pay $2,300 per month in child support. The father argued that the flow-through income he receives from various businesses should not have been included in his net income because most of that money was retained by the businesses, and he received only small distributions. The Superior Court analyzed the statutory definition of “income” in 23 Pa.C.S. § 4302. That definition includes “income derived from business” and “distributive share of partnership gross income”. The Court also held that the trial court improperly inferred that the hearing officer’s decisions were based on the father’s lack of credibility. The Court remanded, ordering that the trial court may only consider that portion of the father’s flow-through income distributed to him.
