Originally published by The Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC Blog.
Yesterday we began to discuss the much debated topic of
child support. If you have been through a divorce or a child custody case then you are
likely aware of this. However, if you are just beginning your journey
through a Texas
family law case then you have likely heard rumors and general false statements about
what child support is and what it is not. For those reasons, we are continuing
our series on this subject in today’s blog post.
Split custody equals no child support
Many parents (usually fathers) will come in to our office and will tell
me that their goal for custody of their child is to split it with their
spouse after the divorce is finalized. This will allow for two conditions
to exist, in their mind at least. The first is that he will be able to
see his child much more than most fathers. This may be true. A Standard
Possession Order (or something that looks very much like a Standard Possession
Order) is the typical possession order for the non primary parent in a
post-divorce world. This allows a parent something like 55/45 visitation.
The other condition that split custody supposedly satisfies is the elimination
for either parent to pay child support. Ultimately, while you may love
your child you likely do not trust your ex-spouse any farther than you
can throw him or her. The thought of paying at least hundreds of dollars
a month to a person’s back account of whom you do not trust is not
an appealing prospect for many parents. Having to then pay that money
and not know how it will be used is even more frustrating. By proposing
a 50/50 custody split there would be no excess in time spent with either
parent, thereby negating the need for child support.
Well, it doesn’t exactly work this way in the real world. In some
instances it may work out this way. If you and your ex-spouse agree to
there not being any child support obligation this will likely go into
effect as soon as the judge signs your order. On the other hand, if the
judge determines that it is not in your child’s best interests that
no child support be paid he or she may override your agreement and order
some support to be paid.
What will typically happen is that the judge will determine what you earn
annually and will compare that to what your spouse earns annually. Any
difference will be paid by you to your spouse- or vice versa- with the
parent who earns less receiving the difference in incomes on a monthly
basis. It is likely that the difference will not equal what a standard
amount of monthly child support is but it could be close.
Once you have a child support obligation you are stuck with it for life
Or at least stuck with it until your child graduates from high school or
turns 18- whichever occurs first. When you are in the mediation session
or informally negotiating with your attorney you may have the thought
in your mind that you need to hammer out the best agreement that you can
because once it is in place there is no going back.
Of course, you should ask your attorney about this wrongly conceived thought
and he or she will dispel that notion pretty quickly. However, if you
are not in a position where you are represented by an attorney and you
desire some perspective on this topic then I am here to tell you that,
yes, you can go back and amend a child a child support order.
Most of the time this is done when either a significant amount of time
has passed since the order was signed by a judge (three or more years)
or when the current child support obligation differs by a factor of 20%
or $100 on a monthly basis. Situations that lead to child support orders
needing to be modified include when a parent changes jobs and begins to
earn either more or less money, or if a parent has become responsible
for additional children previously not in place. Think about situations
where parents marry for a second time and have children after a divorce.
So, suffice it to say that there are opportunities to amend and modify
a child support order. Be aware that if your circumstances change, say
you lose your job unexpectedly, you do not have a grace period to change
the order. You should contact the Office of the Attorney General and notify
them immediately of this situation. You should let your child’s
other parent know about the situation. Next, look into hiring an attorney
as quickly as you can if you anticipate this change in income as being
something long lasting.
If you pay for your child’s braces then you don’t need to pay
child support
I’ve heard many, many variations about this common misconception
regarding child support. I had a client a couple years ago who was convinced
that because he paid for a new engine for his daughter’s car that
he shouldn’t be held responsible for not having paid child support
over a period of a couple months. Besides, this was money that would have
been need to have been spent on the vehicle anyways, right? Doesn’t
it all count the same?
The answer is, no. If there is an order in place that mandates you pay
a certain amount of money to your ex-spouse each month for the support
of your child then you have to do so in the manner that is laid out in
the order. Substituting payments of another sort won’t cut it.
Think about what we talked about in yesterday’s blog regarding “off
the record” payments of child support that are sometimes made from
one ex-spouse to the other without first going through the attorney general’s
office. These payments do not count on the official record of a child
support obligor. If these do not count- then why would indirect, unofficial
payments like the one I mentioned just two paragraphs ago count?
The bottom line is this: pay your child support in the amount, to the entity
and on the date you are ordered to do so. If you fail to abide by this
straightforward rule then you may be in for a world of hurt.
Closing thoughts on false notions on child support
It is easy in this world of ours to be provided bad information. After
all- information of all sorts is available just about everywhere we turn.
Whether it is on the internet, in the print or television media or from
a friend, we have information swirling around us at all times. That information
tends to be focused on areas of life that are juicy, interesting. Notice
that there is not a ton of false information about cuttlefish and their
relationships with hammerhead sharks.
Be aware of this false information. Be also aware that there are people
out there that can assist you when you need to cut through false information
and access facts that can assist you and your family. Do not rely on people
for advice who do not deal in cases like yours on a daily basis. While
they may be well meaning they likely do not have accurate information
to present to you. Instead, consider contacting a family law attorney
who not only knows the law but knows how to apply it to your advantage.
Questions about child support? Contact the Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC
The attorneys with the
Law Office of Bryan Fagan, PLLC are the type of attorneys who not only take pride in representing our
clients well, but also have the experience that you need to successfully
manage your family law case. Whether your family law case is one that
involves child support, child custody, divorce or another area, we have
what it takes to represent you well. We offer free of charge consultations
six days a week where your questions can be
answered and your issues addressed directly. Thank you for spending your time with
us the past few days reading about this important topic.
Curated by Texas Bar Today. Follow us on Twitter @texasbartoday.
from Texas Bar Today http://bit.ly/2WhFVdz
via Abogado Aly Website
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