Child Support

Child support is court-ordered funds to be paid by one parent to the custodial parent of a minor child after a divorce or separation. Generally the amount of child support is based on each parents' income.

Child support payments are due at a certain time every month. The paying parent can make the child support payments to a child support registry, which will then send the payments to the custodial parent, or can have their wages garnished meaning the child support payments may be withheld from their paycheck.

Although a non-custodial parent is not paying court ordered child support, the custodial parent can not interfere in the visitation schedule. In the same sense, the paying parent (non-custodial) can not stop making child support payments because the custodial parent is not in compliance with court ordered visitation schedule. These are matters that need to be addressed in court and an experienced family law attorney can assist you with these matters.

If a non-custodial parent does not pay court ordered child support, he/she can be held in contempt for failure to support. Your driver's license and other licenses can be suspended. Your tax refunds can be seized. The courts have numerous options to enforce child support orders.

If the biological parents were never married, they both still owe the child financial support. In some cases, the person named as the father denies paternity and requests a DNA test. Once paternity of the child is determined, an order for child support will be entered.

Child support generally terminates when a child turns 18, or graduates from high school, or becomes self-supporting.

Conclusion

Family Law is a very complex area of the law, covering many issues, which require careful, sensitive representation to obtain an outcome that is in your best interest. If you or a loved one are dealing with an issue in this area, contact one of our experienced attorneys for assistance with your situation.