Child support laws are very complicated and there are many factors that determine how much support is paid. It is important for people to understand child support laws, so they can fully understand what their rights are in regards to their children.
When one parent legally has custody of a young child, both parents retain the legal responsibility to pay for the other’s child. The courts often require both custodial parents, or parents with whom the children do not live most of the time for the most part, to pay child maintenance. Child support is typically paid on a monthly basis and is based upon the parents’ income. There are some exceptions, such as if the custodial parent receives any government assistance, such as Medicaid or the Social Security Administration (SSA). If you want to know what type of support you will receive, you should contact a child support lawyer.
Child support is a financial responsibility that is shared by both parents. If the parents live apart, the non-custodial parents may make some payments to the custodial parent. In this case, the custodial parent may not be required to make payments.
Child support is paid in many ways. When the court orders child support, it may require either party to pay or both. If the court orders an amount, the custodial parents may not have to comply with the order. If the court orders a fixed amount, the custodial parents may have to submit financial statements to the court, but are not obligated to pay more than the ordered amount.
Child support can include child care, medical and educational expenses, and spousal support. A judge will decide whether the non-custodial parents are eligible to receive some or all of these benefits.
The custodial parents are responsible for paying child support to the non-custodials, unless there is an order from the court permitting them to do so. A judge will only order custodial parents to pay child support if they agree, and if it is not shown that the non-custodials can pay for their own basic needs.
The non-custodials are legally allowed to request that the judge modify their child payments, although the request cannot be more than six months late. If the request is denied, they are legally allowed to go to court to obtain a modification.
Child support payments may be garnished to repay some or all of the parents’ debts. In some cases, the courts can also order the non-supporting parent to reimburse the custodial parent for the child support payments.
A judge will decide how much child support is required, based on several factors. The most important factor is the income level of each parent, which may be determined using tax returns. If the non-custodial parent is unable to provide financial assistance, then the court may require the custodial parent to pay child support, at the discretion of the judge.
If the non-custodial parent earns a higher salary, then the non-custodial parent is likely to be ordered to pay more money. However, this isn’t always the case.
Many times, if the non-custodial parent is more able to provide for his or her needs, the court will allow him or her to reduce or eliminate some of the child support payments. This means that the custodial parent may not have to pay child support at all.
Child support may be ordered for a specified period of time, or for a certain period of time. Sometimes, the court may have the non-custodial parent and the custodial parent agreeing to make arrangements for periodic payments.
Some states will require the custodial parent to pay child support, even if they are not married, while others will allow the non-custodial parent to receive the money for some of the time the child support is in effect. In other states, there are some states that allow both parents to participate in paying child support payments, while others do not.
