Child support refers to the financial obligation typically ordered by the courts when two parents no longer live together. This type of support is often paid by the non-custodial parent to the parent with primary or sole physical custody of the child, and goes toward the child’s upkeep and care.
Child support payments are often a highly challenging and contentious matter, particularly since issues related to child support can continue to arise long after the divorce or custody case has been resolved.
When it comes to dealing with child support issues, working with an experienced attorney from Goldman Law, LLC is critical to protecting both your rights and the best interests of your children.
Establishing Child Support
When calculating the amount of child support a parent should pay, the court utilizes a complex formula based on several factors. Some of these factors include:
- The number of children involved in the case
- The total income of each parent, including monthly earnings for all jobs, pensions, and benefits
- How much time each parent spends with the child or children involved
- The child or children’s monthly basic needs, including the cost of food, education, medical care, and health insurance
The standard formula used for calculating child support payments usually does not apply when the parent required to pay child support has a qualifying low or high income. Instead, the court takes other factors into consideration when determining the amount of child support payments to be made.
Modifying Child Support
Once the court has determined the amount of child support payments to be made and an official court order on this obligation has been put into place, the parent paying child support will likely have to continue doing so until the child reaches 19 years of age or until the month after the child has graduated from high school—whichever comes first. If the child is disabled, then the court may determine that child support payments should continue for a longer period of time.
Parents should be aware, however, that they can request the courts to modify the amount of child support payments if or when the financial circumstances of one or both parents change later on. An example of such situation is when a parent paying child support loses his or her job or becomes disabled and unable to work.
Enforcing Child Support
When a parent ordered to pay child support fails to meet his or her obligation, the other parent has several options for collecting arrears—all of which must go through the family court handling the child custody and support case. The court, upon learning of a parent’s failure to meet the ordered support obligations, will calculate the outstanding child support payments and determine the best course of action for enforcing and collecting such payment.
In some situations, the court may authorize the garnishment of wages or other benefits. Other times, a parent delinquent in child support payments may need to serve time in jail.
Contact the Phoenix Child Support Attorneys at Goldman Law, LLC
If you are dealing with matters related to child support payments, call any of our attorneys at Goldman Law, LLC. We have the skills, experience and knowledge needed to resolve the numerous complications and issues that may result from establishing, enforcing and modifying child support arrangements. We will provide you with superior legal representation, and will work tirelessly to help resolve your case favorably and in the most efficient and effective manner possible.
Call Goldman Law, LLC at (602) 698-5520 or email us using the contact form on this page to schedule a professional case evaluation and learn more about your rights. We serve clients in Phoenix and all throughout Arizona.
