There are actions that you and your spouse can take during a divorce to make the process easier on your children, such as working collaboratively and continuing to treat one another with respect. Predictability and consistency are also important, as is adequate child support to ensure that your children’s quality of life does not change during and after the divorce. At Hart Law Office, your children’s well-being is our priority.
It is both parents’ responsibility to support their children. Child support is designed to ensure that children are being cared for financially, and it is intended to include basic support costs, such as:
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Once child support is calculated and ordered by the court, a parent is usually responsible for making those payments until the child is 18. At Hart Law Office, it is important to us that your children’s quality of life does not suffer in divorce, and we can help you understand how child support works and anticipate the financial consequences of child support in your situation.
In many cases, the judge makes the determination based on a standard calculation taken from your income:
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This standard calculation determines child support amounts in many cases; however, the judge does have discretion to order an alternative amount depending on certain circumstances such as child custody, shared parenting and a parent’s particularly low or high income. Our family law attorneys can work through how the child support laws affect you.
Not paying the child support ordered by the court is never a good idea, first and foremost because you are depriving your children of financial support. Nonpayment can result in actions by child support agencies, courts and the government, including placing liens on your property and holding you in contempt. While you should make every effort to meet your payments, there are instances in which changed circumstances may render you unable to fulfill this obligation. For example, you may have lost a job or your salary may have been drastically reduced. In these circumstances, you may consider asking the court for a post-divorce modification of the child support order to reflect the change in circumstances. Hart Law Office can help you determine when a post-divorce modification is a good option and walk you through the process from beginning to end.
If you are going through a divorce and dealing with issues of child custody or have previously divorced and cannot meet your child support payments, contact us online for your free consultation or call 414-271-1775. Our office is conveniently located in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward. We proudly serve southeast Wisconsin, including Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, Washington and Ozaukee counties.