Traditionally, child support was paid by the Fathers because the Mothers were generally granted majority time-sharing with the children. In the current climate courts are more inclined than ever before, to award equal time-sharing to parents and in some cases award the Father with majority time-sharing. In either scenario it is becoming more common to see Mothers ordered to pay child support to Fathers. Whether the support is to be paid by the Father or the Mother is really irrelevant. The key take away is that if you are ordered to pay child support, you better pay it and pay it on time. Another key issue is that courts turn on the clock from the time of case commencement and the Courts are authorized, in certain circumstances, to issue retroactive child support back twenty-four (24) months from the date of the filing of the action. This can subject you a serious child support debt that can take many, many years to satisfy. Remember that our local Administrative Orders require support to be paid during the pendency of the action so you should not wait until the end to start providing support to your children. Keep this in mind and keep your child support current. Paying child support is easier now than ever. You can pay online or pay via an Income Withholding Order (IWO). The IWO takes the support directly out of your pay check, processes the funds and delivers to the parent who is receiving support. This makes the process considerably more convenient and accommodating for parents ordered to pay child support.
As you can imagine there are nearly an enumerable catalog of issues that can arise in a case involving child support and you need an attorney to assist your throughout this entire process. Do not take the risk of trying to handle these cases on your own. Do not fall behind on your child support payments, and if you do please contact an experienced family law attorney here at Schwam-Wilcox & Associates to assist you and explore potential options like an abatement or modification of your child support.
