Child Support Does Not Mean Extra Alimony
It’s a natural part of human evolution that a mother and father’s main and fundamental duty is to support and protect their children. In most jurisdictions of modern society, that obligation is equally mutual for each parent, based on ability, income, and time spent with the minor, focusing on ensuring the child’s best interest.
Even if some people think it should be easy to find a common ground when it comes to supporting your children, as in any other human interaction, conflicts can arise. Because of this, child support laws and regulations are designed to ensure these supporting obligations are fulfilled and set the legal mechanisms applicable to enforce these rules.
How Benefits Are Determined
One important thing to consider when it comes to child support is that it is tailored and focused on the benefit of the child, not the child’s custodial parent, even if the last one will act as a legal administrator and representative of the child and will be the person entitled to receive child support amounts.
To decide the amount of child support that the non-custodial parent is legally obliged to pay monthly, a Family Court will analyze how each parent´s financial resources, how much time the child is spending with each parent, and the physical custody arrangement. The purpose of this would be that even after a tragic situation for a child (a divorce of their parent), they continue their quality of living with no major affection.
Nonetheless, several situations can lead to the judicial authority modifying (reducing or increasing) a child support agreement, such as:
An additional child
Each of the parents lost their job
Extraordinary expenses
Increase or decrease in regular income
Extraordinary medical issues
Moreover, when the parent responsible for paying child support does not comply with this obligation, a competent family court is entitled to enforce different types of orders that will make sure the parent will pay the pending amounts.
Child support cases are not only emotionally demanding but also legally complex, and self-represented parties often fail to properly complete the necessary paperwork for a child support petition, causing the process to drag on or even end unsuccessfully.
The Help You Need
If you believe there may be a child support dispute coming your way, whether you are the one requesting support or you may face such a solicitude against you, do not have any doubts about contacting a skilled child support attorney to guide you through the entire process.
The Law Offices of Howe and Garside, LTD have years of experience in child support-related procedures and will do everything we can to help you make the right decisions for your best legal outcome. Our Lawyers will assess your legal concerns and handle your case with the attention it deserves. Contact us today or use our online contact form to schedule a free consultation.
The Law Offices of Howe and Garside, LTD provides highly-experienced legal solutions in Newport, Lincoln, Middletown, Portsmouth, Warwick, Greenwich, Kingstown, Tiverton, and the surrounding Rhode Island communities.
The Law Offices of Howe and Garside, LTD
55 Memorial Blvd. Suite 5
Newport, RI 02840