After your divorce, both parents are required to provide their children with financial support. Whether you were awarded sole custody, you are the non-custodial parent, or you share joint custody, as your family lawyer, I will make sure you are aware of your legal rights and are treated fairly under Indiana’s child support guidelines.
While the divorce is pending and after the divorce, the court may order one or both parents to pay child support for their children. The court will look to certain factors when determining child support:
- The financial resources of the custodial parent
- The financial resources of the non-custodial parent
- The standard of living before the divorce
- The child’s educational needs
- The child’s physical and mental health conditions
Most often, the non-custodial parent or the parent with the smaller proportion of parenting time will pay child support. Child support continues until the child reaches the age of eighteen, unless the child gets married, is self-supporting, or is emancipated before reaching that age. Child support is often continued if the child attends college; however, other factors and issues determine post-secondary education, if any.
If you are concerned about your potential child support obligation or if you are concerned as to amount of child support you are entitled, your family law attorney can help you perform initial calculations. In Indiana, courts must follow the Indiana child support guidelines. However, the legislature has made it much easier to predict support obligations of divorcing parents with the Indiana Child Support Calculator. To protect your rights, do not rely on this calculation as a be all and end all. Work with your family lawyer to help you achieve the your best result.
Because child support is generally contested, divorcing parents should hire an family law attorney to ensure that your rights are protected. Divorce can turn into bankruptcy if you and your attorney do not protect your rights and obligations. Most state child support laws do not take into account the divorced parents’ bigger financial picture. I will not just plug your information into the child support calculator and give you the amount you must pay or the amount you are entitled to receive as if you are nothing but a number. I will help you see the implications of creating two households from the funds of one. I will work hard to help put you in the financial position to thrive. If necessary, I will work with your financial advisor to help achieve the cash flow you need to maintain your new household and to put you in a position to grow.
