Child Support Attorneys in Daphne, AL

There’s no question that raising a child is expensive, whether that child is raised in a two-parent home or with parents in separate homes. However, both parents are still obligated to provide financially for their children. What does that mean for you, either as a custodial or non-custodial parent?

Learn more about the basics of child support in Daphne, AL. When you are ready for more specialized advice related to your family law needs, we are here to help. Call Coumanis & York at 251-260-3927.

An Overview of Child Support in Alabama

Child support is awarded in many custody cases in Alabama. If one parent has primary physical custody, it is likely that the other parent will be ordered to pay child support to make up for the extra time their coparent must provide for their child. Even if both parents share physical custody, a major discrepancy in income may require one parent to pay child support to the other.

Alabama, like many other states, uses an income share model. This involves combining the parents’ income and then determining what share of support each parent should offer the child based on what percentage of the income they earn.

This isn’t a cut-and-dry rule. While judges do stick with standard calculations in many situations, they also have the authority to go outside the rules if they feel it is in the child’s best interest to do so.

Factors Affecting Child Support

After the initial calculation is made, a number of factors may change the actual court-ordered child support amount. These factors include:

• How parenting time is split up
• Whether or not one parent has to travel a substantial distance for visitation
• The child’s medical needs, particularly those that may require extra care or medical treatment
• The child’s educational expenses
• The child’s extracurricular expenses

 The judge, after considering both parents’ incomes and other factors, decides how much child support will be paid.

Child Support Modification

Child support is not set in stone until the child is 18. Circumstances change, and the court allows for child support modifications in line with those changes. However, it is important to go through the proper avenues to make child support modifications legally enforceable.

One common situation is the loss of a job or a demotion. If this happens to the parent paying child support, they may be able to petition the court for a lower child support payment. On a similar note, though, the parent receiving child support may ask the court for an increase if the non-custodial parent gets a raise or a new position.

Child support may also change if custody arrangements are altered. If one parent has primary custody but eventually agrees to joint physical custody, child support will obviously change in proportion to the amount of parenting time lost or gained. The same is true in reverse; if a joint custody agreement is no longer manageable because of work or other obligations, the parent taking over primary custody may be entitled to additional child support from the other parent.

Changes in the child’s health or educational needs may also warrant a change in child support. Consider a child who becomes severely disabled after a car accident. If they need around-the-clock care and the primary parent loses their job because they must care for their child, the other parent may have to pay more in child support.

It’s important to note that, compared to other states, Alabama has a fairly high standard of proof for child support modification. If you want to request a modification, be ready to show evidence that a modification is truly warranted.

Child Support Enforcement

In an ideal world, child support would be a simple matter that never leads to disputes between coparents. After all, a child deserves full financial support. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out this way. If you have a child support order but the other parent is frequently late or skips payments, you may need to fight to have the child support order enforced. You and your child should not suffer because of late or missing child support payments—reach out for help if you aren’t getting the court-ordered amount every month.

Why You Need a Daphne Child Support Attorney

Child support is a sensitive topic for many divorced or separated parents. Those who have to pay child support often worry about their money being used carelessly or paying too much to their ex-partner. Those who receive child support often feel that it comes with strings attached or isn’t enough to meet their child’s needs. These misunderstandings can lead to unnecessary fights and a breakdown in the coparenting relationship.

The solution is strong legal representation. When your attorney takes over child support issues, you can minimize your direct contact with your co-parent. This leads to fewer confrontations while still allowing you to fight for what is right for your child.

A child support attorney in Daphne, AL knows how the courts look at child support cases. Your attorney will know what factors are likely to sway the judge and how to use those to get what is best for your child.

It’s especially important to have your own attorney if your co-parent also has a lawyer. Without your own representation, you could be railroaded in court and would likely end up with an agreement that does not meet your needs. You may be worried about the cost of a family law attorney. However, you should really be worried about the long-term costs of not hiring one. A free case evaluation gives you the chance to find out how we can help you and whether or not we’re the right choice for your case.

Coumanis & York—Here for Your Family Law Needs

Whether you’re fighting to get child support, or you want to make sure you are paying a fair amount, we are here to help. The team at Coumanis & York has extensive experience in family law, and we are ready to fight for you and your child’s best interests. Get started now by calling us at 251-260-3927 or contacting us online.

We also handle child support cases in Saraland, Alabama.