Children living in single parent households are able to thrive and grow up to lead happy, balanced lives, if a solid support system is established during childhood. Child support is a tool that single parents can use to offset some of the financial responsibilities that come as result of raising children. Although individual states in the U.S. have their own unique methods for establishing and enforcing child support orders, meeting with a family law attorney can help immensely with your case.
Filing For Child Support Or Modifying An Existing Order
There are many rules surrounding how, when, and where custodial parents are able to file for child support, which is why consulting with a family law attorney is urged. Custody, residency, proof of income, and expenses will need to be established if you seek child support from the non-custodial party. Child support orders can also be modified in specific circumstances. If either you or the non-custodial parent have experienced recent changes in income, a child support modification may be in order. Existing child support orders can also be modified if there has been a change in custody or visitation with the other parent.
Documenting Admissible Child Support Related Expenses
While providing a stable environment for your children can be expensive, not all costs are related to child support. Your family law attorney can help you to differentiate between expenses that will be recognized by the courts as legitimate child care expenditures, versus those that are miscellaneous. Be aware of what child care costs you can expect to be reimbursed for, such as tutoring and school uniforms, before making major financial decisions related to your child.
Enforcing A Child Support Order And Filing For Arrears
Family law attorneys can inform their clients of all available avenues for enforcing child support orders, including those that have fallen into arrears. Wage garnishments and tax seizures can help parents who are owed child support to attain financial relief, but not all cases are quite so simple. Collecting child support from non-custodial parents who own businesses or are employed in a different jurisdiction are notoriously difficult to collect from.
There are some child support cases that are still ongoing, even after the children in question have reached the age of maturity. As a result, lawyers working with custodial parents to collect child support must be patient, empathetic, and judicious in order to make progress. Learn how a local family law attorney, such as those found at Baudler, Maus, Forman, Kritzer & Wagner, LLP, can help with your child support matter and help you to create a positive outcome.
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