Understanding Your Child Support Responsibilities
As a parent, you have numerous obligations to your child. One of the most important responsibilities is to provide financial support. Both parents are expected to support their children financially, and Indiana has statutory formulas that are used to determine the payment amount.
Although there are few deviations from the formula, it is important to work with a lawyer who can make sure only relevant income is included in the calculations. Since 1996, the Law Offices of Melissa L. Kubeck has been representing clients throughout Merrillville and northwest Indiana in child support matters. Contact us online or call 219-791-1200 to schedule your initial consultation with an experienced family law attorney.
Child Support Defense
If you get behind in child support payments, the court can take enforcement actions against you to collect overdue payments including, but not limited to, jail time, driver's license suspension, professional license suspension, attorney fee reimbursement to the other party, and other penalties and sanctions. You must take a filing against you for back child support or arrearages very seriously. We work with clients to establish a payment plan, determine if any child support arrearage is owed, and take steps to mitigate jail time, driver's license suspensions and other potential penalties.
Stopping Child Support
If you are paying child support through a court order, in Indiana you must go to court and emancipate a child to stop your support obligations from being due every week to the custodial parent. Child support is typically paid until a child is no longer a minor. Child support stoppage — also called emancipation — usually happens when a child is 18 or 21, although there are exceptions to that rule.
Remember, your child support continues to be due and owing until you go back to court and secure court order signed by a judge stating that you no longer owe child support. If a child goes to college, you may be required to pay child support towards their college funds. In addition, if a child is mentally or physically disabled, child support payments may last well beyond the child's teenage years.
We help our clients understand their child support payments and potential deviations from standard child support payments. Schedule your initial consultation by contacting us online or by calling 219-791-1200.
