Helping Clients Achieve Favorable Results in Child Support Agreements

Child support matters are some of the most crucial aspects of finalizing a divorce with children involved. Many couples have questions regarding how much child support they should seek, how to get child support enforcement when their spouse fails to pay, and whether they qualify for child support modification. These questions affect your child’s well-being and your financial future and should be answered by a trusted child support attorney.

Child support attorneys like Kendra Carpenter work closely with clients to ensure their and their children’s needs are met. Your lawyer can help resolve many issues that typically arise during child support cases, including the establishment of paternity, child support enforcement, calculating child support payments that are fair for both parties, and other family law services.

When determining child support, it is essential to remember that Ohio courts will need to approve whatever decision you make. In fact, the court may require you to submit to child support guidelines according to Ohio law, even if you and your spouse come to an alternate conclusion. At these times, hiring knowledgeable child support attorneys who will fight for you is critical.

Our experienced child support attorney is standing by to answer your questions and discuss the details of your case in a complimentary phone consultation. If you are paying child support or receiving payments, you deserve a fair resolution that meets your needs. Call our knowledgeable legal team today to schedule your consultation at 614-553-0260.

Who Pays Child Support in Ohio?

Contrary to popular belief, the husband is not always obligated to pay child support in every child support order. Each family’s child support needs are unique and may require various adjustments. The parent receiving child support typically has primary custody, meaning the children reside at their home. In other cases, the parent with a higher income must make child support payments regardless of where the children live.

Another critical issue involves determining which parent will be responsible for medical care, including health insurance. A Columbus, OH, judge can help make these decisions with the help of representing attorneys on behalf of each parent. Usually, one parent has easier access to insurance or has more affordable coverage plans. Even if this parent does not make obligated child support payments, they may be required to supply health insurance for the child.

In some circumstances, parents share equal or nearly equal time with their children. These child support cases can be complicated, requiring the help of an experienced child support attorney to help calculate a fair child support agreement. Please reach out to our caring, capable legal team for assistance with your child support or child custody battle.

What Items Are Included in Child Support Payments?

Child support payments are generally deducted from the obligor’s, or payor’s, bank account or paid by other means to a designated Ohio payment system. The money is then deposited into the obligee’s bank account. These payments cover a wide range of needs when it comes to caring for your children.

Some examples of items that child support payments may cover include:

  • Housing, including rent, mortgage, and utilities that are reasonably necessary for meeting your children’s basic needs
  • Food
  • Clothing, which may need to be replaced as the child grows
  • Personal and recreational items, such as haircuts, toys, and toiletries
  • Medical expenses, including doctor’s visits, therapy, dental care, vision check-ups, and prescriptions
  • Activities, such as camps, sports, and school events
  • Transportation for activities and traveling between parents’ homes
  • Educational expenses

Your family may experience unique costs that require higher child support payments. Reach out to Columbus child support lawyers for help getting the financial support you need to raise your children following a divorce.

How Is Child Support Calculated?

Ohio state law requires that biological and adoptive parents continue to care for their children, even after the parents divorce or dissolve their marriage. While this practice is universally accepted, it is harder to calculate what one parent must provide when they pay child support. These matters are usually settled in a court order decided by a family court judge.

The court will likely consider several factors during the court proceedings, including:

  • Each parent’s annual gross income
  • Costs of providing the basic necessities for the family, which can vary depending on the number of children, healthcare needs, location of the home, amount of travel to visit the other parent, and more
  • Tax obligations
  • Inability to pay due to mental or physical disability
  • Child custody arrangements and parenting plans

While Ohio has a minimum child support payment amount, this may be increased or lowered depending on your unique needs. If you are a noncustodial parent who must pay child support, please get help from trusted Columbus child support lawyers who can represent you and provide evidence that you do not deserve an unreasonably high child support order. Going through a child custody battle is hard enough without having a lifetime of unfair child support payments to make. Reach out to our law office in the Columbus area for help with these critical matters.

What Should I Do if My Spouse Fails to Pay Child Support?

Many divorcing parents worry about what will happen to them and their children if the other parent fails to make their child support payments. This is genuinely troubling, as it can impact the family’s ability to pay rent, buy groceries, and provide necessary healthcare for the children involved. Child support obligations should always be taken seriously since failing to uphold this duty can land a person in serious legal trouble. If a court finds you guilty of criminal non-support following your divorce, you could face jail time, extra fines, or license suspension.

Enforcing child support is necessary but complicated. You will probably need legal assistance from talented family law attorneys who can guide you on how to get the child support payments you’re entitled to. The Ohio Child Support Enforcement Agency has many routes it can take to motivate negligent parents to do their part.

Some actions the CSEA may use to enforce child support orders include:

  • Withholding the payment amount from the other parent’s wages
  • Filing for contempt of court, which could result in criminal charges
  • Filing liens against the person’s real estate or other assets
  • Garnishing the at-fault individual’s tax refund
  • Suspending the person’s driver’s or professional licenses
  • Denying the person a passport

Denying child support payments for an extended period, such as for 26 weeks over a two-year span of time, can even lead to felony charges. If you are seeking child support or have failed to make payments, please act now to recover the money you are owed or to avoid serious legal consequences. You can get help from our child support lawyer today and obtain the favorable outcome you’re seeking.

Can You Modify Child Support Orders?

Sometimes, nonresidential parents who have obligated child support payments may find that life situations do not allow them to make the full payment required by the court order. At other times, custodial parents find that childcare costs consistently exceed what the other parent is paying. When you have a valid reason for modifying your child support orders, you may do so through petitioning with the Ohio family court system.

There are specific qualifying reasons for seeking a modification in your child support payments, such as:

  • Sudden loss of job due to circumstances beyond your control
  • Sickness of the paying parent
  • Sudden decrease in income for other reasons

It is crucial to remember that you cannot modify child support orders without getting legal approval from an Ohio judge. Simply negotiating different terms with your ex is not enough to satisfy Ohio state law. You must petition a judge and present legal documents that prove you need to modify your child support agreement.

Legal guidance from talented child support lawyers like those at Carpenter Family Law LLC can make all the difference. We offer excellent legal representation when seeking modification, so you can rest assured that you will get favorable results in your case. Call our child support lawyer today to learn more about how you can benefit from our child support modification services.

Do I Need a Lawyer In My Child Support Case?

Child support issues can be emotional and complex. Your court order will determine whether you enter the next phase of your life with the financial support and stability you deserve. Whether you are a paying parent or are receiving payments, you need legal counsel from a law firm that offers in-depth family services.

Your family law attorney can help with many different duties, including:

  • Helping establish child custody arrangements that meet your family’s unique needs
  • Presenting accurate numbers that demonstrate your ability to pay child support
  • Demonstrating before a judge that your childcare expenses are accurate
  • Representing you in court to take this burden off your shoulders
  • Offering legal counsel based on decades of experience
  • Helping you modify your child support payments
  • Enforcing child support when a spouse fails to pay

Columbus child support lawyers help protect clients from an aggressive spouse who demands unfair child support arrangements or fails to uphold their duties. Call our law firm today to ensure your arrangements meet child support guidelines and give you and your children the life you deserve.

Should You Hire Our Child Support Attorney?

Going through a divorce is never a simple process. Things only get more complicated when children are involved. Once custody matters are decided, the parents can move on to resolve child support issues. Ohio law requires the paying parent to offer financial support, either based on not having primary custody or having a higher income. If this parent fails to uphold their duty, they may face legal consequences.

You deserve excellent legal representation and counsel at every step of your child support battle. At Carpenter Family Law LLC, we understand the complexity behind child support issues. We also know how important it is for newly divorced parents and their children to have the financial support they need when moving on into the next phase of life.

Our dedicated, compassionate legal team will listen carefully to your concerns to help you find solutions that meet everyone’s needs. We care about families and will stop at nothing to get you the bright future you deserve. Our founding attorney, Kendra Carpenter, believes in finding creative solutions. We have put this belief into practice in our decades of legal work helping families resolve complicated and emotional child support matters. Call today at 614-553-0260 for your free phone consultation to see how you can benefit from our legal assistance.