CHILD SUPPORT & The LAW

Under the law, you and your spouse each have a responsibility to support your children in accordance with their needs and your financial abilities. Child support may be by direct payment or by indirect benefits, such as mortgage payments, insurance, or payment of medical and dental expenses for your child. Ordinarily, the obligation to support your child ends when that child reaches 18, marries, or becomes financially independent.  The family law attorneys of Canan Law can help you determine the precise obligations that you and your spouse have for child support.

Some of the legal issues concerning child support which must be considered include: (a) the amount of child support; (b) the method of payment; (c) ways to assure payments are made; (d) when child support may be increased or decreased; and (e) who claims the child support deduction for tax purposes. Other questions may need to be answered, depending on the circumstances of your case. Guidelines for the amount of child support apply to all cases and are based on the income of the parents and the number of children with adjustments for substantial overnight contact.

If you have a problem getting child support payments from your spouse or former spouse, or visitation and access to your child is denied, you should bring this matter to the attention of the court. It is not legal to withhold visitation or child support payments because either parent fails to pay court ordered child support or violates court ordered visitation.

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