Child Support
Call us now or use the form below. Try Our Child Support Calculator Finders Frequently Asked Questions about Child SupportQ: How is child support determined? A: Each state has child support guidelines in place that are used as the foundation for determining the amount of child support owed. While guidelines vary from state to state, courts setting child support orders will generally follow the amount suggested by the guidelines unless a reason to depart from them exists. Most guidelines factor in at least some of the following:
Q: Can I get child support if I never married my child's father? A: Yes. Both of a child's biological parents owe that child a duty of financial support. You can work with an experienced family law attorney and/or your state's Child Support Enforcement office to obtain a support order. Don't be surprised if the person you name as the father initially contests paternity and asks for a DNA test. Once paternity has been established a support order may be entered. 25% of children in America live in single-parent households. Experienced Child Support LawyersAt the Law Offices of Ronald A. Graziano, in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, our attorneys have significant experience helping families establish fair and equitable child support agreements. Our attorneys have a comprehensive understanding of New Jersey's child support guidelines. We strive to develop levels of support that are in the best interest of the children and are fair and reasonable for both of the parents. Contact our family law attorneys and let us put our thirty-four years of legal experience to work for your children. Child Support - An OverviewThere are more than 13 million divorced parents in America with children under the age of 21. Typically, one of the parents has physical custody and relies on child support paid by the other parent. Statistics show that when all child support is paid as agreed in the divorce decree, both parents remain involved with their children and the children usually have an acceptable standard of living. Conversely, when child support is not paid custodial parents and their children are at risk for financial turmoil. Unfortunately, a disproportionate number of divorced single parents and their children do not receive child support and live below established poverty levels. Who Pays for College?The ever-increasing cost of a college education could be added to death and taxes as one of life's certainties. Whether you are paying or receiving child support, one question that might not yet be resolved is which one of you will be required to pay for your child's college education. This question and others like it can be answered in detail by an experienced family law attorney. Deadbeat Dads and MomsThe nation has turned its attention to the issue of unpaid child support. Every state has a child support enforcement agency or office. Those state agencies are supported by the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE). The OCSE helps administer federal child support legislation and provides tools and funding to the various state enforcement agencies. Not Mine: DNA, Divorce and the Disestablishment of PaternityIn the past, suspicion about the paternity of children born during the course of a marriage remained just that, a suspicion. There was no concrete way to answer any lingering doubts. However, since the advent of relatively inexpensive DNA testing, doubts about paternity can be resolved easily and conclusively. The widespread availability of these tests has created a whole new set of problems for families and courts trying to set fair child support orders. Courts and legislators must now sort out who is and isn't biologically related to the children before assigning ongoing financial child support responsibilities. Making the decision to test for paternity raises difficult questions about timeliness, fraud, morality and the best interests of children and society. So far, there is not a clear answer to these questions. Child Support and TaxesTaxes can be reduced by allowed deductions and exemptions. Deductions reduce the amount of taxable income, and exemptions reduce the adjusted gross income, such as standard withholding or dependency exemptions. If you pay child support or receive it, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has a strict set of rules in place to control the deductions and exemptions that you are allowed because of the payment or receipt of child support. Often, the terms of your divorce decree and related agreements will control the extent to which any tax offsets are available. For that reason, it is very important to consult an experienced family law attorney regarding the long term tax implications of the child support arrangements reached in your case. Child Support Resource Links
Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement
American Bar Association Child Support Guidelines Report
National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) -Child Support Updates
|
