A child support attorney provides assistance to parents who are separating and who want to understand how support works. If you are no longer going to be living with the other parent of your child, you need to talk with an attorney who can help you to understand how your child will be provided for.
Your child deserves the financial support of both parents, and both parents must provide this support unless and until their parental rights are terminated. A parent without custody will typically still have to pay support, and will usually be required to do so until a child is 18, even if the parent does not choose to see the child.
A Scottsdale child support attorney can provide assistance both to parents seeking child support, as well as to parents who have to pay support. We help with initial child support proceedings as well as with enforcement actions and in situations when child support is insufficient. Give Singer Pistiner, P.C. a call today to find out more about the different ways in which we can assist you with all legal matters related to supporting children.
Options When Child Support Isn’t Enough
One of the biggest reasons why people turn to a child support attorney for help is because the support they are receiving is not enough to provide for their child’s needs. Kids can be expensive to raise, especially if your child is involved with a lot of extracurricular activities, if your child is in daycare, or if your child has any type of special medical needs.
It is important to understand what your options are if your child is costing you a lot more money than you are receiving from the other parent. Unfortunately, just because you are spending a lot on your child does not necessarily always mean you are going to be able to get a lot in child support.
Child support in Arizona is calculated based on a standard formula, and there is a calculator on the website of the Arizona Judicial Branch which shows the factors used to determine the amount of support to be paid.
The factors affecting the amount of support a non-custodial parent must pay include:
- How parenting time is shared
- The number of children
- The incomes of the parents
- The other required expenses of the paying parent
- The age of the children
- The costs of insurance and who pays for insurance
- Monthly childcare costs
- Extraordinary expenses
These factors are designed to make sure a parent contributes to meeting a child’s needs. However, if you plan to pay for costly private school or expensive extracurricular activities, your ex is not necessarily going to be required to pay his or her fair share of these things under the standard formula.
If you want to make sure there are arrangements in place to pay for these special costs, you need to negotiate this and create your own agreement with your ex as part of your divorce or separation agreement.
Modifying Child Support
While you may not be able to get your ex to pay for all the things you want to provide for your child, there are certain circumstances where it is possible to modify child support if the amount you are currently receiving is not enough.
If there is a material change in circumstances, a child support attorney can help you to take action and ask for a modification of the support which you are receiving. For example, if your child has developed a serious and costly medical condition or if your income has dropped dramatically, you may be able to ask for more child support.
An attorney can evaluate your situation, help you to determine if you have grounds for modification, and assist you in making the most convincing argument possible that support should be modified.
How a Child Support Attorney Can Help
You do not want to take any chances when it comes to making sure your child is supported. To protect your child’s interests, it is important to talk with a Scottsdale child support attorney as soon as you have decided you no longer wish to live with the other parent of the child.
An attorney can assist you from day one in negotiating the most favorable agreements possible on custody and support so you can provide your kids with the care that they deserve.
To learn more about how a Scottsdale child support attorney can help you, give us a call at (480) 418-7011 or contact us online. You can also download our Free Divorce Guide to find out more about custody and support during a divorce.