Filing for Divorce: What to Expect
About Child Support
When you're going through a divorce, there are tons of things to think about. How will you split finances that were gained during the marriage? Who will gain full custody of your children, or will you split joint custody?
While all these things might be discussed, there is one aspect you might not have thought about, and that's child support when filing for divorce. Don't worry below; you're going to find some much-needed information to help you understand divorce and child custody laws.
Who Gets Custody?
When deciding on child custody, your question: "Is it better to have sole or joint custody of my kids?" can be agreed upon in one of two ways. Either the parents decide amongst themselves, or the courts will decide.
At the end of the day, the courts will do what's best for the child. They will consider the work schedules of both parents and who the child needs the most at their specific age.
For example, if a child is younger, the courts might rule that they spend more time with their mother. In comparison, an older child may split equal time between the homes of both parents.
Taking care of children can be costly, and that's where child support payments come into play.
How is Child Support Determined?
Usually, in the case of child support, one parent will file the motion with the courts, and it will be served to the other parent to make them aware of the support request. When the court begins to calculate how much child support the awarded parent is to receive, they will look at:
- The adjustable income of both parents
- Monthly income of both parents
- Financial statement from the parent that is filing for support
- Expenses as it pertains to the child's healthcare
- Work-related expenses including things like daycare for the child
Once all these things have been considered, the courts will decide on a number that should be paid to the primary parent monthly. Until this order's made official, you won't have to pay child support.
After the child support order has gotten accepted and put into place, you do have to pay it. If you don't make the payments or fall behind in payments, the parent that holds majority custody can take you to court for back child support.
In severe cases, someone can face jail time or other penalties until they are able to catch up on their payments. That is only if you report to the courts that they’ve not been paying their child support.
After you’ve reported it the court will then take action to provide you the support you were awarded in previous court proceedings. If you want to find out more about child support, don't hesitate; there's information available everywhere.
Filing for Divorce? Make Sure You Understand Child Support
If you're filing for divorce, you also need to file papers for both child custody and child support. Child support will help you cover the necessities needed to help you take care of your child as they continue to grow and learn.
We hope you found this article useful, and we recommend you read some of the other posts that we've published.
