Child Support When Custody is Shared Equally
Child support in Georgia is based on the best interests of the involved children, and a wide range of factors are taken into careful consideration. These factors include, but are not limited to, the parenting time arrangement.
Both parents are responsible for supporting their children financially, and a primary factor of this responsibility is each parent’s overall financial resources. In other words, child support is a complex legal matter, but an experienced Gwinnett County child support attorney can help.
The Primary Factors that Affect Child Support
While every child support case is considered in relation to the unique circumstances at play, the primary factors involved include the following:
- Each parent’s income
- The number of children covered by the order
- The amount of parenting time – or visitation – each parent has
- Additional expenses, including health insurance, childcare, and extracurriculars
The basic child support obligation schedule is based on each parent’s income and the number of children covered by the order, but additional factors can directly affect this basic payment calculation.
When one parent is in the primary custodial role, the noncustodial parent generally has the child support obligation. If, on the other hand, you and your ex share parenting time equally, the parent with higher earnings is likely to pay child support to the other – especially if the difference between your incomes is significant.
How a Child Support Attorney Can Help
Child support cases are not as cut and dried as many people think. The truth is that many factors are considered and that your child support order will reflect your unique situation. For example, if any of your children have special needs or require additional care, the court can employ its discretion in the matter by ordering child support that goes beyond the state’s calculation parameters.
Having an accomplished child support attorney in your corner from the start can make a significant difference in the outcome of your case in all the following ways:
- Ensuring that all the relevant circumstances are well-represented
- Helping you understand the legal process and your rights within it
- Helping you and your children’s other parent keep your case out of court by negotiating fair terms between yourselves – and saving time and money while minimizing stress in the process
- Helping you resolve any disputes that may arise along the way
- Enforcing the child support orders once they are established
The benefits of having a trusted child support attorney on your side are difficult to overstate.
Reach Out to an Experienced Georgia Child Support Attorney Today
The knowledgeable Gwinnett County divorce attorneys at Banks, Stubbs & McFarland understand how important child support is to your family, and we are well prepared to fiercely pursue a case resolution that supports your rights and works well for you and your children. For more information about what we can do to help you, please do not hesitate to reach out and contact us online or call 866-455-4701 today.