In California, payment of child support is of paramount importance. That is because the public policy for child support ensures that a child is taken care of until he or she reaches the age of 18 and completes high school. The purpose of child support is to afford children the basic necessities of life, and allows the child to share in the standard of living of both parents.
California Child Support Guidelines
Child support primarily looks at two factors- the parties’ custody time and income. Conceivably, this is why child support often becomes a contested matter. First, the parties must have a set custody schedule, and second, the parties should correctly determine each others’ actual income.
California has established uniform guideline support standards, which are primarily based on factors such as each parties’ income, percentage of custody time, income tax liability, mandatory health insurance deductions, and retirement. You can visit the California Guidelines Calculator to estimate your share of child support based upon your circumstance. However, this formula is not the end-all-be-all. In instances where one party voluntarily refuses to work, or hides assets, for example, the court can impute income to that party.
Child support, particularly, can become a hot-button issue quite quickly. That is why, it is important to be represented by an attorney that has your best interest in mind, and not simply a number.
If you have a child and have questions regarding your current or potential child support award, contact Braunstein Law to schedule a free 1/2 hour consultation with a San Diego family law attorney to evaluate your options.
Child Support Modification
Co-parenting is not a constant, and a change of circumstance likely may arise as the child gets older. For example, a child begins to spend more time at the father’s house, one parent may want to relocate, or a party’s income significantly changes. All of these changes may directly correlate to the child support payments because they address timeshare and income.
However, simply adjusting child support payments is not acceptable and, in fact, can cause significant legal problems. A petition for child support modification is the appropriate method of adjusting child support payments, which starts the process of a court hearing to address the change in circumstance.
If you have questions about modifying your current child support order, call Braunstein Law to set up a free 1/2 hour consultation with a San Diego family law attorney to evaluate your options.