The Most Important Child Support Issues in Family Law

As attorneys who practice family law here in Texas, we are regularly asked about child support issues by clients. Child-support has gotten increasingly complex over the years, especially as our society and courts move closer towards children spending 50 percent of their time with each parent.

Still, there are instances where one parent is the primary caregiver, which sets the stage for the other to pay child support payments. Child-support can also become complicated because figuring out who the primary parent is and addressing some of the emotional issues behind the concepts can be daunting.

Below, we discuss some of the most important things for you to keep in mind concerning child support (in case it affects or may affect you at some point):

How It Is (Generally) Calculated

Child-support loss typically covers financial needs of the child, such as clothing, entertainment, food, housing, healthcare, transportation, and other costs. The parent who pays child support is known as the obligor, while the primary caretaker who receives child support is known as the obligee. While state law governs what factors and conditions go into calculating child-support, the state child support enforcement agency typically covers enforcement.

Part of calculating child support may involve a couple potential submitting their financial information to the court, although there are some general guidelines and factors that are typically taken into account in every state, such as the child’s needs, parents’ incomes, cost-of-living standard, number of children, etc. Note that your attorney should be able to access a program that allows you to calculate an estimated amount so that you have a heads up as to what the court would arrive at.

Child-support gets even more complicated when it comes to parents who have joint custody of a child. In some cases, if the parents split things evenly, and child-support might not be ordered at all; while; other times, if the child spends more time with one parent–even if that difference is only slight–child support may be ordered. While physical custody and the literal number of nights the child spends with a parent all impact the calculation, having a say over certain decisions, such as healthcare and education, does not.

Contact Our Brownsville, Texas Family Law Attorneys To Find Out More

With the assistance of a family law attorney, child-support payments can be modified if there is a significant change in circumstances, such as a salary change or change in the needs of the child. Contact our Brownsville family attorneys at Colvin, Saenz, Rodriguez & Kennamer, L.L.P. today to find out how we can provide you with legal guidance and assistance when it comes to figuring out child support and/or any other family law-related needs you may be dealing with.

Resource:

fatherly.com/love-money/child-support-payments-everything-to-know/

https://www.rcclaw.com/new-tax-strategies-that-could-make-divorce-settlements-easier/