Understanding the reasons for child support payments

A common misconception

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Many divorced parents hold the misunderstanding that child support is intended only to cover a child's bare necessities. In actuality, child support is intended to cover a broad range of expenses such as:

• school fees
• entertainment
• medical expenses
• a host of extracurricular activities

Every state has established child support guidelines, as a means to determine the amount of child support parents may be required to pay. Additionally, the courts also take into consideration, a variety of factors such as a parent's income and ability to pay, special financial needs of the child, and the amount of support needed to maintain a child's existing standard of living.

No requirement for payment reporting

• The courts do not require parents to provide any evidence that the child support payments are going toward specific activities.
• Unless extreme cases prove otherwise, the assumption is, that the parent who has physical custody is paying for the necessary expenses to raise the child.
• There is no vehicle in place to monitor the spending habits of a custodial parent. The calculation of child support is regulated by the North Carolina Child Support Guidelines established by the Conference of District Court Judges.
• The calculation of child support involves a formula which has certain variables.
• The most significant of these variables are each parent’s income, applicable daycare expenses, the cost of medical insurance, and the living arrangements of the children.
• Consult with one of Charlotte’s top family law attorneys to determine how support may be calculated in your particular case.

Charlotte’s top Family Law Attorneys

When it comes to family law, the legal process can seem intimidating and overwhelming. The outcome of your case will have a significant effect on the rest of your life. You need a lawyer who takes this seriously, and who will work diligently for favorable results. You need a Charlotte law firm that has the skills, resources, and knowledge to handle complex legal matters; ranging from criminal defense to family law. Charlotte Family Law Attorneys at Plumides, Romano, Johnson & Cacheris, PC, has a history of serving the community for more than 50 years, and has a reputation for hard work and success. They also handle personal injury and workers’ compensation cases. Call them today to speak to a lawyer that has decades of experience, and who understands how the law applies to your specific situation.

Child support

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Child support questions

Summer vacation is a fun time and a great opportunity for non-custodial parents, but it also raises questions around child support. We want to address some of those questions, in the hope that clarity will make the transition easier for everyone, especially the children. If you have any questions surrounding child support, you should contact Charlotte’s top Family Law Attorneys.

Child support during summer vacation

• When your child stays with you for an extended time during the summer when he or she is out of school, you are still required to pay child support.
• In the original court order, that time was already accounted for, and is part of the child support calculation.
• If your ex-spouse interferes with, or denies you visitation, you cannot stop paying child support.
• Visitation and child support are two completely separate matters.
• If you are being denied visitation, you should file a custody claim to enforce a custody order.

Charlotte’s top Family Law Attorneys

When it comes to family law, the legal process can seem intimidating and overwhelming. The outcome of your case will have a significant effect on the rest of your life. You need a lawyer who takes this seriously, and who will work diligently for favorable results. You need a Charlotte law firm that has the skills, resources, and knowledge to handle complex legal matters; ranging from criminal defense to family law. Charlotte Family Law Attorneys at Plumides, Romano, Johnson & Cacheris, PC, has a history of serving the community for more than 50 years, and has a reputation for hard work and success. They also handle personal injury and workers’ compensation cases. Call them today to speak to a lawyer with Charlotte’s top Family Law Attorneys, with a history of serving Charlotte for over 50 years.

Child support

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Moral and legal obligation

An inescapable reality is that every parent has some level of obligation to financially support their children. The law provides that we are required to provide care and support from the time they are born until they attain legal adulthood, when they turn eighteen. According to the law, both parents owe a duty to provide financial support for their children.

How child support works

• A parent's legal obligation to support their children is usually quantified in financial terms. This obligation exists even if the parents have not received a formal order to pay child support.
• Child support payments will be determined from the day the child is born. It has nothing to do with the date that the parties get an agreement from the court.
• The child support order merely hammers out the details such as the amount of child support owed, and sets up potential penalties that are established to enforce the child support order.
• It also establishes a schedule of periodic payments.
• North Carolina courts have and established formula that is used to determine the parent’s level of child support. Even still, there can be a number of elements are open to interpretation.
• These fine details require the attention of a skilled child support attorney.

Charlotte’s top Family Law Attorneys

When it comes to family law, the legal process can seem intimidating and overwhelming. The outcome of your case will have a significant effect on the rest of your life. You need a lawyer who takes this seriously, and who will work diligently for favorable results. You need a Charlotte law firm that has the skills, resources, and knowledge to handle complex legal matters; ranging from criminal defense to family law. Charlotte Family Law Attorneys at Plumides, Romano, Johnson & Cacheris, PC, has a history of serving the community for more than 50 years, and has a reputation for hard work and success. They also handle personal injury and workers’ compensation cases. Call them today to speak to a lawyer that has decades of experience, and who understands how the law applies to your specific situation.

Factors to determine child support

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A common misconception

There is a common misconception among divorced parents that child support should only cover a child's bare necessities, such as food and clothing. Many are surprised to learn that child support is intended to cover a broad range of expenses such as school fees, entertainment, medical expenses, and extracurricular activities. All 50 states have established child support guidelines to determine the amount of child support a parent may be required to pay. In addition, courts will also take into consideration, a variety of factors such as:

• A parent's income and ability to pay.
• The financial needs of the child.
• The amount of support needed to maintain a child's existing standard of living.

Contact one of Charlotte’s top family law attorneys to determine how support may be calculated in your particular case. Consider the following listing of what child support may be used for:

• Basic necessities
• Medical Care
• Education related fees
• Childcare

Charlotte’s top Family Law Attorneys

When it comes to family law, the legal process can seem intimidating and overwhelming. The outcome of your case will have a significant effect on the rest of your life. You need a lawyer who takes this seriously, and who will work diligently for favorable results. You need a Charlotte law firm that has the skills, resources, and knowledge to handle complex legal matters; ranging from criminal defense to family law. Charlotte Family Law Attorneys at Plumides, Romano, Johnson & Cacheris, PC, has a history of serving the community for more than 50 years, and has a reputation for hard work and success. They also handle personal injury and workers’ compensation cases. Call them today to speak to a lawyer that has decades of experience, and who understands how the law applies to your specific situation.

Child support is for the children

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Moral and legal obligation

I hope that we can all agree that every parent owes an obligation to support their children. Legally, we are required to provide care and support from the time they are born until they attain maturity or adulthood, in most states, when they turn eighteen. Morally, many parents feel an obligation to do whatever is necessary to give their child(ren) some form of aid well into adulthood. Although in the majority of cases, when we speak in terms of the child support obligation, there may appear to be a greater financial burden of the parent who does not live with the children; however, according to the law, both parents owe a duty to support a child.

Child support is for the children and not for the other parent

• It is very common for a paying parent to become upset over the idea of paying money to the other parent after the relationship is over.
• It is important that you remember that the money you are paying is meant to support your children, and that is something that you should feel good about.
• On the other hand, if you are the parent receiving support, you also need to remember that the payments are to be for the benefit of the children.
• Under the advice of your lawyer, you can agree to exchange your income information on a yearly or periodic basis, and have the court review whether child support needs to be adjusted.
• This is important if you have a dramatic change in income, or you lose your job.

Charlotte’s top Family Law Attorneys

When it comes to family law, the legal process can seem intimidating and overwhelming. The outcome of your case will have a significant effect on the rest of your life. You need a lawyer who takes this seriously, and who will work diligently for favorable results. You need a Charlotte law firm that has the skills, resources, and knowledge to handle complex legal matters; ranging from criminal defense to family law. Charlotte Family Law Attorneys at Plumides, Romano, Johnson & Cacheris, PC, has a history of serving the community for more than 50 years, and has a reputation for hard work and success. They also handle personal injury and workers’ compensation cases. Call them today to speak to a lawyer that has decades of experience, and who understands how the law applies to your specific situation.