815 Orienta Ave. Suite 1030 Altamonte Springs, FL 32701
815 Orienta Ave. Suite 1030 Altamonte Springs, FL 32701
Are you currently in the midst of child support negotiations? Do you want to understand your child support rights as a co-parent? When you share children with someone that you don't live with, you will need to have a certain arrangement so that you can effectively co-parent. Often times, this involves child support of some kind. Because the children split their time, or potentially live primarily with one of the parents, the other parent will need to take financial responsibility for any children under the age of 18. As a family law practice in Winter Park, we help many co-parents work through their child support arrangements. There are a few questions that can help you better understand child support and your expectations as a co-parent.
Child support payments vary depending on your case, and typically this amount is determined by your income. This number will be agreed upon by the courts and will take into account a few different factors. The courts will consider the income of the parents, the child's cost of living, and each parent's employment status. The location of the child's living situation will also be taken into account.
Failure to pay your child support payments will result in many different repercussions. When your co-parent reports your failed payments to their attorney, they will then seek legal action to get you to settle your payments. They may take your license or even withhold any tax returns. The judge may even revoke your visitation rights, which can legally prohibit you from spending time with your child until payments are made. It is not possible, however, for your co-parent to remove this right without intervention of the courts.
Because the courts take your employment status into account when they calculate your child support payments, you will likely not have to pay child support when you are unemployed. If you lose your job, however, you will still need to make payments until you alert the courts. They will then make adjustments to the child support arrangement to reflect these new changes.
The first thing you should do is talk to your ex. Perhaps there is a simple explanation of why there are missed payments. However, if your ex fails to respond, you will want to alert your family law attorney. They will then begin the process of alerting the courts and seeking legal action to get you the payments you need to care for your child.
These are some commonly asked questions that help many people better understand child support and how it affects them. When you share children with someone who primarily lives with your children, you may need to financially contribute to help raise the children. If you are in need of a family law practice in Winter Park to work through your child support arrangement, contact us to schedule a consultation today.