Can I Relocate With My Child Following an NJ Divorce?
After your divorce, you may be eager to get a fresh start by moving away from your ex-spouse. While this may not seem like…
New Jersey law recognizes that each parent has an obligation to provide financial support for their minor children. When parents live apart due to a divorce or a decision not to marry, the parent with physical custody of the child typically is entitled to payments from the noncustodial parent. How much this payment should be depends on numerous factors, and arriving at a fair amount can be a complicated process. At Feitlin, Youngman, Karas & Gerson, LLC in Glen Rock, our child support lawyers help parents secure child support terms that accurately reflect their child’s needs and each parent’s ability to bear the costs.
Our skilled Bergen County family lawyers carefully examine financial records and other pertinent information to advocate for an amount that provides suitable support for your children, while upholding your right to a fair outcome.
Courts in New Jersey typically determine child support by using a calculation known as the child support guidelines. The information considered includes both parents’ income after allowable deductions and the number of children to be supported. The program also factors in such items as health insurance premiums for the children, work-related childcare and the number of nights a child spends in the non-custodial parent’s home. Once all the pertinent data is entered, the program produces a figure for basic child support.
However, many New Jersey parents provide their children with educational and extracurricular opportunities, such as private school, travel, sports training, summer camp and music lessons. As courts try to maintain the standard of living they children would have enjoyed had the marriage remained intact, parents must often supplement basic child support to cover these expenses. Children with health concerns or special needs could also require support that goes beyond the basic guideline rate.
Our child support attorneys often achieve mutually acceptable settlements through negotiation or mediation. However, if the other parent is not being reasonable about their share of the financial obligation, we are prepared to litigate child support terms in court to obtain an appropriate order.
Parents can request a modification of child support if there has been a substantial, lasting change in circumstances since the existing order was issued. Parents can request a modification upward or downward, depending on the circumstances. Our family lawyers represent parents petitioning for a modification as well as those opposing the change.
If you have suffered a financial reversal and are unable to make child support payments, you should immediately speak to a child support attorney about a modification. Do not rely on an unofficial agreement with the other parent, because as long as the old order stands, arrears continue to accumulate. At any time, an informal understanding could break down and your co-parent could accuse you of failure to fulfill your child support obligation. Don’t let that happen.
A court order for child support has the force of the law behind it. A willful refusal to pay support could trigger severe consequences, such as:
Rather than risk enforcement measures that could harm you personally and professionally, you should talk to a child support attorney at our firm who can help you resolve your difficulties.
Don’t face a divorce or any family law issue, such as child support, on your own. Contact the seasoned New Jersey child support lawyers here at Feitlin, Youngman, Karas & Gerson, LLC so we can effectively represent your interests, every step of the way.
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