iTK Newsletters

Divorce, find out about child support

6th February, 2009 - Posted by admin - No Comments

The key point around child support is to make sure that the children are taken care of when the parents separate. After a divorce, some people can not provide enough for their family on a single income, and thus it is essential that you file for child support.

A judge will make the decision around child support and it will usually be reasonable. He will looking at what the father or mother earns along with any other sources of income, and also take into account the needs of the child. The older a child gets, the more money you will pay because their needs increase. Those who refuse to pay child support can be prosecuted. It is against the law to ignore the decisions of the courts.

Both parents have a duty towards the children. One will give monetary support (and hopefully also other support when needed), whilst the other is responsible for the day to day caring of the child(ren). Usually, the one who has the least time with the child will pay the support. Sometimes it is the father and sometimes it is the mother.

Your martial issues are never a concern when it comes to determining child support because it doesn’t matter what went wrong with the marriage; only that the child is taken care of. The only thing that matters is that the parents are responsible. Fore example, if there was abuse, obviously the abusing partner won’t get custody and will end up paying child support regardless of visitation.

You do not get to choose what you will pay, so you need to do your research when you first start the divorce proceedings. Here are some things you might want to consider:

• You will  want to make sure that your payment is scheduled. Your payment is due a certain time of the month and if they aren’t on time, you may end up in jail for unpaid child support.
• Child support is only used to give the child shelter, food, and clothes.
• It may be used to purchase school supplies as well as other related things.
• Your payments will stop as soon as they turn 18.
• Some states require you to pay child support past 18 if they are still in high school or even college.
• If they become emancipated, you don’t have to pay child support anymore either.
• Obviously if the child dies, you no longer have to either

Find out right away what you may be paying because if you don’t pay then you will either go to jail, and your possessions may be auctioned off to pay your debt. You may want to think about the amount you are willing to pay and then consult your lawyer on seeing if you can get the payment to be around that amount.