Arapahoe County Child Support Attorney

Arapahoe County Child Support Lawyer

Navigating the decisions around child support is a complicated legal matter to handle. The goal is to strike a balance between ensuring a child’s basic needs are met and not putting either parent in a financially difficult position. Whether you are looking to establish, modify, or enforce an existing child support order, the quality of your efforts is only as strong as the attorney who represents you. This is why you need to hire an Arapahoe County child support attorney.

At Kinnett & Cordes, our law firm is committed to helping any parent in need. We understand the importance of ensuring a child support order is fair, properly enforced and reflective of your child’s unique needs. From day one, we promise to take the time needed to learn everything we can about your family and the changing dynamic. This enables us to fight for an outcome that is legally compliant and balances everyone’s needs to help your family move forward.

What Are the Most Common Child Support Legal Challenges?

It can be helpful to learn about the most common child support challenges that pop up during these cases to ensure you are prepared for any potential disputes headed your way. Some of the most common seen across Arapahoe County to be aware of include:

• Disputes over child support calculations. While child support payments are calculated under Colorado and federal guidelines, disagreements between parties can arise when there is a disagreement over how someone’s income was calculated, what deductions are allowed, or if other expenses were not taken into consideration.If one parent believes that the initial calculator proposed was unfair, whether it’s due to an inaccurate income report or overlooked expense, they can challenge this in court.
• Failure to pay child support. Another common legal issue is when someone is accused of not paying their court-ordered child support. This is an extremely serious situation, as it can create an unbearable financial strain for the custodial parent and impact the well-being of the child.When brought to the court’s attention, they can implement enforcement measures like wage garnishments and intercepting a tax refund to cover the outstanding amount while holding the non-compliant parent accountable.
• Modifying a child support order. Life circumstances can change at any moment. This can make an original child support order no longer fit to meet the needs of everyone involved. An unexpected increase or decrease in income, unexpected medical expenses, or a change in the custody arrangement can all make it difficult to uphold the conditions of an initial support order.The parent requesting the support modification must provide evidence to prove the change in circumstances is valid and warrants a change.
• Disputes over unreported income. There have been instances where a parent attempts to avoid having a higher child support obligation by underreporting their income or working below their earning capacity on purpose. To get ahead of this, the courts assess each parent’s education, work history, and available job opportunities in their local area.Any suspicion that a parent is trying to manipulate the outcome of the child support order needs to be brought to the court’s attention for investigation.
• Determining responsibility for additional expenses. While basic child support payments cover essential living costs, such as shelter and food, disputes can arise over other expenses specific to the child in question. This can be extra medical bills stemming from specific health care, private school tuition, or transportation costs.Because some parents might disagree on what qualifies as a necessary expense, this can lead to another dispute that needs to be discussed and resolved through the courts.

FAQs

Q: Can Child Support Be Waived or Forgiven?

A: Child support typically cannot be waived or forgiven, as it is a legally enforced obligation to ensure a child is able to still receive the financial support they need after their parent’s divorce. However, there are some cases where the payments may need to be suspended. This can be due to an extreme hardship, like losing a job or being diagnosed with an illness unexpectedly. For support to be waived or forgiven, the court will need compelling evidence to make this call.

Q: How Is Child Support Calculated If the Parents Share Custody?

A: In scenarios where both parents are sharing custody over a child, the child support calculation becomes more complicated. Typically, the non-custodial parent would pay a higher monthly payment to ensure the other parent, who has them most of the time, is able to afford their needs. When a child spends time with both parents equally, this could reduce the child support burden. This would be true unless there is a significant income disparity between both parents.

Q: What Happens If One Parent Remarries?

A: If a parent receiving child support payment decides to remarry someone else, this could be enough of an event to reduce or dismiss the payments entirely. This is because the remarried parent will not rely on a new dual income, which might make the child support payments unnecessary or unfair. To make this happen, the paying parent will need to request a modification with the court to assess the other spouse’s new financial situation and needs.

Q: Can Child Support Be Increased Over Time?

A: It is possible for child support payments to be increased if there has been a significant change in financial circumstances. If the receiving parent feels they are no longer able to meet a child’s needs, they can request a modification with the court to revisit the case. Without evidence of a significant change in circumstances, like the receiving parent losing a job or having to deal with new expenses for the child, the court will not be able to approve the request.

Arapahoe County Child Support Attorney | Law Firm

If you are currently experiencing a change in the family dynamic, whether that be a divorce or a change in financial circumstances, you need a quality Arapahoe County attorney to help get the legal process started. At Kinnett & Cordes, we have seen every type of child support case. We know how challenging these cases can be to manage on your own, which is why we are standing by, ready to help. Contact us today to get started and learn more about your legal options.