Child Support and Custody in Towson
If you have children, but you are going through a divorce, you should also start thinking about child support and custody. No matter what reason for your divorce is, you should always think how this process will influence your children. As a parent, you should keep in mind that child support laws are meant to benefit the children, and not the custodial parent. Divorce separation can cause a complete havoc in the family structure, and young children are the ones that are affected the most. A custody lawyer in Towson can help you not only fight custody battles, but decide what is best for your child in your particular situation. It is not uncommon that parents become so angry at each other that they completely forget about the children. Instead of trying to get revenge and suck out the money out of your spouse, you should think about what is best for your kids. Usually, by withholding money, the other parent uses it as leverage to control the custodial parent. In these cases, a lawyer can help you by pursing child support enforcement.
Custody and Child Support Laws
No matter how much a support order seems unfair, parents must keep in mind that they and the other parent are both responsible for supporting their children if they are less than eighteen years old. The amount of support to be paid by one parent to the other is established by the state custody and child support law. In certain conditions and requirements are met, that amount of support can be either decreased or increased. Social workers, court officials and attorneys can help parents determine who will pay the support and in what amount. When it comes to custodial time share, certain laws also must be respected. However, if both parent show good will, they can agree on their own about the share time. Usually, how much money one parent is ordered to pay to the other for child support is based on how much time each of them spends with the kids. The more time is spent with the children, the less money is paid. Another very important factor you should have in mind is the amount of income each parent has. The lifestyle of the child can also be considered.
If a parent doesn’t pay his child support in time, he or she can be legally pursued. Laws are becoming much stricter than in the past, and not paying child support will inevitably lead to debt and legal violations. For example, if you owe child support to the other parent, your driver's license can be suspended or your income tax may be intercepted. There are also other penalties and ways to make the non-paying parents complete their duties. In some cases and if necessary, the custodial parent may request a wage assignment order that requires the other parent’s employer to make child support payments directly to the custodial parent. If the paying parent suspects the child support is used for something else and not for the children, he or she should gather evidence that prove that claim. After presenting the supporting evidence at family court, a family court hearing will be scheduled.