Child support is a vital financial assistance to custodial parents and their children, and is usually a legal obligation of the other child’s parent. However, despite the importance of child support, not all noncustodial parents are willing or even able to hand over a significant part of their paycheck every month. Whether the noncustodial parent believes that they cannot afford to, or they believe that the child support order is too much, conflicts are sure to further damage what is left of the relationship between the parents and possibly between the child and one or both of the parents as well. It is crucial to solve child support disputes quickly, and for receiving parents to be given their child support payments on time and in full. Call The Colwell Law Group, LLC today for more information on the services that we can provide in your time of need.
The custodial parent can use their child support payments for the child’s food, clothing, child care, health care, education, toys, housing, utilities, school supplies, and virtually anything that the child needs or the custodial parent needs to help cover the costs of raising the child.
The New York Courts will take a specific percentage of the noncustodial parent’s income and attribute that to child support payments. Typically, this is 17 percent for one child, and 25 percent for two children. However, if the noncustodial parent’s income puts them below the federal poverty line, they may only have to pay $25 per month. Or, if they make over $143,000, the court may side with them in their argument to pay less than 17 percent for one child, or 25 percent for two. Whether you are the custodial parent or the noncustodial parent, it is important to work with an attorney to ensure that you pay or receive a fair amount.
Modification of a child support order is an important step to take when your circumstances or the other parent’s circumstances have changed. If you are the paying parent and lost your job, you may want to modify the order to pay less. Similarly, if the custodial parent is making more money now than before, you may be able to modify the order. Custodial parents may wish to modify the order if their economic circumstances change for the worse, of if they know that the other parent can now afford to pay more.
The Child Support Enforcement (CSE) program in New York State establishes and maintains child support enforcement laws, collects and distributes payments, enforces orders that are not made, and helps establish paternity, which is necessary if the parents were never married. We work closely with child support enforcement agencies to ensure that you are paid on time and in full, as well as for overdue payments.
The Greene County child support attorneys of The Colwell Law Group, LLC, have experience in all types of child support conflicts, enforcement, and modification. We encourage you to reach out today and speak with one our attorneys. Between them, our child support lawyers have more than 20 years of combined services, and we have successfully been serving New York families since 2005.
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