Virginia Child Support Lawyer
Let me help you with your child support case in Virginia court. As a Virginia child support lawyer can fight for your legal rights in court. Give me a call to discuss your child support case.
read important information on how to defend child support in court:
What is Child Support in Virginia?
§20-108.2 establishes the guidelines of how child support is determined.
Child support is the series of payments from one parent to another to help pay for the great costs associated with raising children.
Child support often comes from a divorce proceeding, but any parent can petition the court to make the other parent pay child support.
If you and the other parent agree to a child support amount, you will want an attorney to help draft the deal.
The Virginia child support lawyers at American Lawyers Group can help you get the best possible contract to keep your child support coming.
However, you can also be gained through Virginia’s courts.
If child support is ordered by the court, there will be a highly sophisticated formula used to determine what each party owes.
How is Child Support Determined?
Family law issues like child support are mostly dealt with at a state level.
This means different states will do different things.
Some states will allow each side to argue before the court and allow a judge to determine the amount of child support.
However, Virginia uses a complex and intricate formula based on expenses and the income of each parent.
Basically, you plug in each parent’s gross income, how much they pay for health insurance, babysitting, and a few other things, and Virginia spits out the exact amount each parent will have to pay.
The litigation in child support mostly argues what the incomes and expenses are because Virginia allows for imputed income.
This means that non-monetary benefits a parent has can be considered income in the eyes of the court.
For example, if your child’s other parent is living for free somewhere, you may be able to add the value of their living space to their income.
Imputed income can be confusing, but the child support attorneys at American Lawyers Group have dealt with many kinds of imputed income cases and can help you with your child support case.
Custody and Child Support
Child support payments are rarely split 50/50 between the parents.
Normally, the parents will pay very different amounts based on the custody rights each parent has.
Sole custody means that the child lives with just one parent and that one parent has the only right to make major parenting decisions for the child.
In these cases, child support is basically comparing the incomes of the parents and making each pay a certain percentage of their monthly income.
Split custody happens when there are multiple children from a marriage, and some children live with one parent more than the other.
Here, Virginia courts still use the sole custody method of calculating child support.
Shared custody occurs when a child spends time with both parents and spends at least ninety days living with one of those parents.
In shared custody cases, courts can be requested by a parent to use the sole custody method, or they can divide the child support based on how much time the child spends with each of the parents.
These layers of custody and support can be a lot for parents already trying to support or see their children.
If you need help with your child support arrangement, contact the attorneys at American Lawyers Group.
How Long Does Child Support Last?
Child support can begin when you and the other parent agree it begins if you make a settlement deal on child support.
However, if the child support is a result of a court order, it begins not with the judgment, but when it was requested.
From the beginning, Virginia child support lasts until the child is 18 and no longer dependent on and living with a parent.
There are some exceptions. For example, you have to pay child support for an 18-year-old living with their mom who is still a full-time high school student.
Also, if the child has a mental condition that prevents them from living independently, child support might never end.
Why Should You Hire an Experienced Virginia Child Support Lawyer?
Raising kids is hard work. You want what is best for your child.
If you need to increase the child support you are receiving the attorneys at American Lawyers Group can help you.
But, if you do not think the child support amount is fair, American Lawyers Group’s skilled attorneys can help you too.
