After a marriage ends, child support is money from one parent to the other to financially maintain the kid or children. However, in some parenting arrangements, child support may be determined using a set-off technique in which each parent pays the other. It isn’t easy to choose not to pay child support because the courts have decided it is the child’s right. A family law attorney can help if you have a particular parenting plan or need assistance determining and enforcing child support.
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- Calculating Child Support Income
The parenting arrangements, formerly known as child custody and the income of both parties are considered when calculating the amount of child support that must be paid under the Federal Child Support Guidelines: Child custody attorneys generally only need to consult pay stubs or income tax returns to ascertain an individual’s annual income. Determining income can get considerably more complicated if one party works for themselves or is employed by a firm. For this reason, you must have legal counsel to help you ensure that the appropriate amount of child support is determined to satisfy the children’s financial needs.
- A Lawyer Can Guarantee That the Law Will Uphold Your Agreements
In a Separation Agreement document, you can include all of the terms of your mutually agreeable and autonomously reached agreement regarding child custody, decision-making duties, child support, spousal maintenance, and other matters. In certain areas, however, before executing a Separation Agreement, each party must obtain independent legal counsel. Therefore, before signing the Separation Agreement, it is a good idea to have a child custody lawyer such as child support attorney in Houston, evaluate it to ensure it is a binding law.
- Child Support Enforcement When One Party Is Unwilling to Pay
You have a few choices for how to go about enforcing child support if one partner refuses to pay. Make sure your child support arrangements are formalized in a court order before you start. The process of creating an order and getting it submitted to the court can be helped by a child custody lawyer. If the other party doesn’t comply with their child support duties once the order is signed by a Justice or Judge and filed, they will be held in contempt of the court order. Additionally, you can register your court order with the Maintenance Enforcement Program (“MEP”), which has the power to suspend the non-payor’s license or immediately take their income from their pay stub.
- Attorneys For Child Custody and Loco Parentis
You can be required by law to pay child support if you are a stepparent or take care of a child instead of a biological parent. In Latin, “loco parentis” means “in place of a parent,” and this phrase is used by the courts to describe stepparents or other relatives who are acting as the guardians of the children. The courts may also determine that stepparents are subject to the same duty. A child custody lawyer can assist you if you are considering divorcing and would like to determine if you are regarded as the biological parent.
Conclusion
The best line of action is hiring a child support attorney such as child support attorney in Houston rather than filing the paperwork and handling the case independently. Many family law attorneys offer free consultations to go over every aspect of your case. You should realize that you are not required to fight this war alone. A knowledgeable child support lawyer guarantees that you will get justice.
