In some states, there are other ways to give child support besides direct monetary payment, though in most cases that is what the courts will decide is best. But for poor parents this may be too difficult a burden to pay. Also, there is no way to know for sure if child support payments are really…
If your ex-spouse is honorable, they will comply with court orders for child support payments as best as they can. However, if they cannot or will not comply, the Division of Child Support has several options to enforce them to pay.
The Division of Child Support is responsible for providing chil…
Spousal maintenance payments can force people to make very difficult decisions. When a court calculates spousal maintenance, all the assets of the one who is paying are taken into account, not just income. Someone paying may have to sell land, rental property, or other tangible assets to raise th…
States don’t just have their own child support laws, but must also follow federal law on the matter. Last year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Child Support Enforcement put up a list of proposed changes for public comment. The response was positive, though some legisl…
One of the hardest things that a family law judge must decide is how to impute income. Imputing income is legalese for deciding how much income each party in a divorce case has and how much they are expected to make in the future. This information is used to decide fair amounts of spousal mainten…
Divorcing late in life is becoming more common. This brings up questions about how dividing finances works for retirement assets. One area where this is easy is Social Security benefits. In fact, you may be able to claim your ex-spouse’s benefits long after a divorce happened if you meet certain …
Divorce issues surrounding a child revolve around three major components: custody, child support, and residential time (sometimes called visitation in other states). A parent that has custody of the child means that the child will live with them and that they will be responsible for the child’s w…
Sometimes a person that owes child support gets an unexpected windfall that isn’t linked to their job. An inheritance, lottery winnings, or an insurance claim for instance. How much of that should go to the children? Different states have different opinions on this.
In California, there is a vol…
It would be wonderful if all people who owed child support felt a duty to pay it for the sake of the children. Unfortunately, many people try to dodge it by ignoring notices, moving around, or sometimes even physical violence against their exes.
In Sumter, South Carolina, one man was caught doin…
What happens when a deadbeat keeps avoiding their child support obligations? In some cases, quite a lot. Depending on the state, wages can be garnished, tax refunds withheld, or even an arrest can happen.
Pennsylvania is one of the states where arrests can happen. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s…