Category Archives: Child Support
Most Alimony Obligations Are Of A Short Duration, But Child Support Lasts Until The Children Reach Adulthood
In some marriages, one spouse has a much higher earning capacity than the other. If the parties were married for a brief period and did not have children together, then the principle of equitable (fair) distribution requires the court to divide the parties’ assets so that each spouse’s financial situation is similar to what… Read More »
Fulfilling Overdue Child Support Obligations After Your Children Reach Adulthood
When people who have children together get divorced, there is always some possibility of your ex-spouse finding ways to get under your skin for the rest of your life. Once your children turn 18, your ex-spouse cannot interfere in your financial decisions, but when you see the Christmas presents that your ex and your… Read More »
Not Every Change In Financial Circumstances Warrants A Modification Of Child Support
The Florida child support guidelines require the court to make detailed findings about both parents’ income, assets, and expenses, as well as about how likely the parents’ financial circumstances are to change before the children reach adulthood. Parents have the right to petition the court if one parent’s financial circumstances change, making the child… Read More »
Co-Parenting Disputes Over Medical Bills from Out-Of-Network Providers
Healthcare is so expensive and health insurance is so complicated that the subject can be a major source of stress even for happily married couples. Decisions about children’s healthcare and about the parents’ financial responsibilities for this care is, understandably, a frequent source of disputes among former spouses with minor children. Parenting plans specify… Read More »
Starry-Eyed Entrepreneurial Dreams Are Not A Basis for Imputing Income
Optimism is a prerequisite for entrepreneurship. This is obvious to impossibly peppy motivational speakers who fill hotel ballrooms with aspiring business owners, as well as to business school professors who teach courses on design thinking. It is also obvious to the relatives with stable but boring jobs who keep providing money to the family… Read More »
Beware Of Ambiguous Terms In Child Support Agreements
The only thing worse than a child support order that makes you pay more money than you can afford is one that leaves it unclear how much money you are responsible for paying. If this happens, it is possible for your ex to interpret the order in a way that makes it seem like… Read More »
Is Florida The Right Place To Resolve Your Child Support Dispute?
Courts can only issue rulings on legal disputes when the court has jurisdiction over the case, in other words, when it has decision-making authority with regard to the people and places involved in the dispute. When one party moves to Florida after a divorce, the couple might ask the Florida courts to domesticate a… Read More »
When High Net Worth Couples Co-Parent A Child With Medical Special Needs
When people who do not have children give you advice about how to deal with toilet training, tantrums, or screen time, you can either laugh at how wildly off-base their suggestions are or be angry that they dared to offer advice when they were so unqualified to do so. If your child has special… Read More »
Plan Ahead If You Know That Your Child Will Need Financial Support Past Age Eighteen
Ordinarily, child support orders stay in effect until the child reaches the age of 18. If the child is still in high school on his or her 18th birthday, then the child support continues until the child graduates from high school or turns 19, whichever happens first. It is possible for child support obligations… Read More »
What Happens If Your Parents Give You Money to Help You Pay Child Support?
When people grumble about child support, it is not because they do not take their parental responsibilities seriously. Most parents do not resent having to support their minor children financially. No one likes to have a judge bossing them around on behalf of their ex-spouse; that is where the resentment comes from. Despite the… Read More »
