Unless a court terminates an individual’s parental rights, both legal parents must provide for the health and wellbeing of their children. Typically, the parent without residential custody makes support payments directly to the primary custodial parent. These payments help compensate custodial parents for general costs associated with child-rearing, such as transportation, food, clothing, healthcare, education, housing, and utilities.
While many parents make these payments willingly, others refuse or stop providing necessary support. In such cases, a dedicated family law attorney can help you fight for arrears or modify a support order when a co-parent fails to uphold their support obligation. If you are the paying party, our New Haven child support lawyer can also help you obtain a fair agreement that allows you to support your child while staying financially stable.
Determining the amount of child support that one parent may owe involves calculations based on the child’s needs and the paying party’s disposable income. Generally, judges subtract healthcare expenses, insurance premiums, union dues, and taxes from a parent’s gross income before calculating child-rearing costs and distributing it between legal guardians.
Exceptional circumstances, or deviation criteria, may allow for an increase or decrease in the payments owed. The state courts may modify the amount of child support payments if one or more of the following are true:
Any changes in either parties’ circumstances can affect the amount owed or received. Additionally, divorcing spouses can contractually agree to pay support above the state-required minimum. A lawyer in the New Haven area can help submit a motion to modify child support obligations if a parent believes the calculations are unfair.
Parents with overdue support obligations or unpaid arrears can face legal consequences, such as money withheld from their paychecks or tax returns. State support enforcement workers often partner with legal professionals to obtain past due monies and interest from parents.
If a payer does not have stable employment, an attorney may ask the state to place a lien on the paying party’s property. A New Haven attorney can help a parent obtain adequate child support from the individual who is having trouble making their payments.
Our team appreciates how hard you work to provide for your children. Whether you need help obtaining child support, modifying your payments, or contesting your obligation to provide support, reach out to one of our attorneys.
A New Haven child support lawyer can fight for your kids’ best interest and secure the payments you are owed. Contact us today to schedule a consultation.
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