Child Support
Georgia law states that a parent is obligated to support his/her children. In considering whether child support is warranted, you need to simply look to one of the three most common situations that occur: divorce, separation, and children born out of wedlock. In these cases, the biological parents are required to support for their children. If you are a parent in one of these cases, you need to contact an experienced attorney that can help you review your particular situation and get results.
My guess is that you have probably already reviewed a child support calculator for the State of Georgia or State of Alabama. However, child support can be affected by a number of factors, many of these factors depending upon the age of the child(ren). Do you have a child attending daycare? Does your child(ren) participate in after-school or before-school? Does either parent have healthcare benefits offered through their employment? What is the amount that you presently pay for healthcare benefits for your children? Has this amount increased significantly in the last two to three years? These are just a few factors to consider when considering child support. However, with the cost of daycare and healthcare having increased significantly over the last number of years, these are costly factors, and you may be subject to an increased amount of child support you receive or decreased amount of child support you pay based on these costly factors.
Child support can be modified, either increased or decreased, depending upon the particular facts and circumstances in your case. Your case may involve a parent receiving a substantial pay increase due to a promotion at work. It may be that you have lost your job, or your company has had cutbacks in pay or bonuses that you were dependent upon at the time that the original child support was determined. It could also be that a specific amount of time has passed since the original child support order was entered, and the child support amount is automatically subject to review due to Georgia law.
Why consider a child support modification when you are going to have to pay an attorney to assist you? I have consulted with many individuals that ask that very question. Your particular answer will likely be different than the next person that asks the same question. Factors include the age of the child(ren), whether the child(ren) will emancipate soon, the amount of projected child support that you could possibly receive, whether daycare and early childhood factors such as after-school are no longer required, and a host of other factors that the Court will consider for your particular case.
Why should I have a consultation concerning child support? Many factors can affect the amount of child support you receive or the amount you pay. Many of these factors, including income, vary based on the age of the child(ren). You may be subject to receiving significantly more child support, or you may be subject to paying significantly less child support. These factors will be considered when we sit down and discuss your particular situation.