Orange County Child Support Lawyer

What is Child Support?

Child support is a regular payment that is made by one ex-spouse to another for the purpose ofcompensating for the cost of provision for their biological child. The individual who is responsible to make these support payments can be either the father or mother of the child depending on a number of factors. If the mother is given a larger portion of custody of the child then the father may be required to make payments to the mother and vice versa.

In the same manner, if equal custody has been assigned and one spouse has a significantly higher income than the other then they may be required to make payments to the other spouse due to their lesser income. In some cases, financial circumstances may change for one or both of the former partners or spouses, requiring child support modification.

Whether you are facing contested divorce or a peaceful collaborative divorce, this issue may be rather prominent in the process. A Mission Viejo child support attorney at our firm will be able to help you to determine what would be an adequate payment for you to receive in the case that you will need support. It is important for you to have legal assistance in this matter so that you may aggressively pursue the best arrangements for you and your children.

How Long Do Parents Have to Pay Child Support?

When you are assigned to make child support payments, the first question on your mind might be when you will be able to stop paying them. This is a valid question and it can be answered by looking at how long a parent is required to support his or her child. They must provide care for their child until one of the following occurs:

• The child reaches 18 years of age, considered the age of majority. This can be longer if the child is in college or has additional special needs.
• The child enters into the military
• The court states that the child is emancipated from the parent's care. This happens when a minor performs some sort of action that demonstrates that they are out from under their parent's care with the ability to support themselves
• If a child is adopted, thereby putting an end to the birth parent's responsibility to support the child

Every situation is unique, so we highly recommend that you communicate with a Mission Viejo family law attorney before determining that you no longer have to make payments. If you suddenly stop paying because you believe you no longer have to, this could create complications and be detrimental for you. Failure to make child support payments is considered being in contempt of court, which could result in jail time.