If you are an unmarried parent, you may be curious of the process for collecting child support from the father of your child. In most situations, you will be interested in collecting support to help in raising your child and providing them with the things in life that they need. The attorneys have years of experience in working with clients on establishing paternity and drawing up child support arrangements. Allow for our seasoned attorneys to provide you with the legal counsel you require for this complex process. If you are having child support issues, do not hesitate to contact an experienced attorney, like a child support lawyers Plano, TX residents turn to, to assist you with your case.
Paternity & Child Support
Regardless of whether or not you were married to the parent of your child, does not change the fact that they are required to pay child support. Even if the father has been listed on the child’s birth certificate, paternity will still need to be established. This is required in all circumstances involving unmarried parents. Depending on the father’s willingness to participate in the process of genetic testing, this can be challenging to obtain. When a father is unwilling to submit to DNA testing, they can be ordered by the court to comply. Once paternity has been confirmed, child support can be determined.
Determining Child Support Payments
There are various ways that child support payments will be configured. In most cases, the courts will take into consideration a number of factors when determining how much child support a parent will need to pay:
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Income
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Income from bonuses or other types of infrequent pay
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The age of the child
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Whether or not the child has special needs
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Whether or not there is another partner in the picture that covers expenses
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Which parent pays for daycare and health insurance
There are a number of other considerations that can be made depending on your specific situations. For example, if a parent can afford more, they may be required to pay a higher amount of support. In situations where the parent is unemployed an unable to make their payments, they may be able to pay less.
Enforcing Child Support
Most custodial parents rely heavily on child support to take care of their children. One concern many parents may have is what they should do if the non-custodial parent doesn’t pay. This can have a deep impact on you and your child when it comes to meeting the basic needs of your child such as: food, shelter, clothing and medical. In some situations, regardless of a court order, the father of your child may still not pay the support required for the care of your child. When it comes to enforcing child support, you will need attorneys to help you bring this matter to court. Ways child support can be collected when a parent doesn’t pay can include:
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Wage Garnishment
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Withholding tax refunds
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Taking away driver’s license
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Withholding professional licenses
The process of requesting child support can be daunting, some, will choose to forgo it. In most cases, it will be important that you claim what your child is rightfully entitled to. Let us help you bring your case to a resolution that will work for you and your child.