Child Support
Child Support: Evaluate the extent of your contribution
Keywords: Children lawyer(s), Children law firm(s), Children attorney(s)
Not to be taken as legal advice. You should always seek professional help with a licensed lawyer or law firm.
Child supports refer to your contribution as a parent to support the expenses of your child after you have separated or taken a divorce from your partner. This is a legal term that is governed by family law and is also known as child maintenance.
Child support can even be provided to a parent, guardian, state, or caregiver in order to support the finances of the child. In such a case, the parent giving the child support payment is the non-custodial parent and the payment receiver is the custodial parent, guardian, caregiver, or the state. In order to figure out the extent of your contribution in child support, you must consult a children lawyer, who will be able to guide you better.
More often than not, separated parents struggle with child support contribution. This is particularly when both the parents do not agree with the contribution, which can even result in one parent suing the other parent after which the child support is evaluated as per the state guidelines. In such a case, appointing a children law firm is the best way out.
Why do you need to give child support?
In simple words, child support is provided to support the financial needs of the child by the parents, who are obliged to do this under the law. In this, the person that gets the custody of the child is the custodial parent and the person that does not keeps the child is the noncustodial parent.
The custodial parent meets the child support obligation by maintaining the house where the child resides, such as by paying the rent or mortgage, buying home utilities, purchasing groceries, etc. On the other hand, the noncustodial parent supports the child by paying some amount of money every month to the custodial parent.
There can be arguments between parents regarding the extent of their contributions in child support, as to who will may the payment and who will receive it. This is where a children attorney may come to your rescue.
Obtaining child support
Different countries have different laws and regulations for their child support policies. In some cases, parents may agree within themselves regarding the extent of their contribution in child support and in other cases, the argument may be dragged to the court.
No matter what path you choose to settle on child support, you must consult a children lawyer to make things easier for you as well as the other parent. When trying to obtain child support, there are some things that you must know. These pointers are listed below.
- Court procedure
When filing for child support, make sure you have the back of a children law firm to represent your case in the court. Then, your attorney will visit the local courthouse in order to file a complaint or application for child support.
This application is sent to the other parent informing them that they have been sued for child support by their partner. After this, a court hearing takes place, where it is determined who is responsible to pay for child support.
- Evaluating the contribution amount
The amount of money given in child support is calculated by the respective jurisdiction by considering many factors. A local children attorney can tell you what factors are considered depending on your individual state rules.
In general, the income of the both the parents, school fees, and basic living expenditure are taken into consideration, along with the ages and number of children they have. In addition, if the child has some specific needs, such as he or she is suffering from a serious disability or illness, then the child support payment covers this too.
- Contingent changes
If there are some circumstantial changes, then also the child support payment is affected. For example, if the parent giving child support is facing financial hardship, has lost their job, etc. Consulting a children lawyer is recommended when this is what you are going through. In such a case, there can be reduction in the child support payment for the parent who is facing such changes.
- Distribution of child support payment
The child support payments are allocated according to different factors. These include particular expenses, like tuition fees, school fees, etc., wherein the parent can pay the amount directly to the school or college.
Moreover, in a few jurisdictions, the child support payment is first made to the governing state or federal child support agency and then it is paid to the receiving parent after the necessary subtraction of the amount that is to be paid to the government.
Thus, a children law firm can help you file for child support. No matter whether you are the paying parent or the receiving parent, a children attorney can help you understand what your legal rights are as a separated or divorced parent. Plus, they can handle your case in the right way, thus benefitting both the parties.