What Happens to My Child Support If I Remarry?

Remarriage, whether by the custodial parent or the parent paying child support, will not usually impact support payments. All children have the legal right to receive support from both parents. They are not, however, automatically entitled to financial support from stepparents.

Will The Income of My New Spouse Taken Into Account When Determining Child Support?

The income of your new spouse won’t probably impact your existing child support arrangement. Usually, however, the court may look into the income of your new spouse under certain circumstances. For instance, if your remarriage will substantially impact your financial circumstances, the court may consider this change in circumstance when determining whether or not to modify the existing support order.

Let’s say that you are marrying someone who earns a lot of money, and because of this, you don’t necessarily have to work if you don’t want to. The court will most likely look into your new spouse’s income when figuring out how much you will now be able to contribute towards financial support for your kids.

Likewise, if your new spouse is responsible for all your household expenses, the court might decide that you now have more funds to support your kids. These will also apply to your ex-spouse when they remarry.

What If My New Spouse Wants to Adopt My Child?

If your new spouse wants to adopt your child and your ex-spouse agrees, you will stop receiving child support payments from your child’s biological parent. Stepparent adoption involves your child’s other biological parent transferring their parental responsibilities and rights to the adoptive parent, which is your new spouse.

Through this legal transfer, your new spouse will now be legally obligated to financially support your child. But if your ex-spouse has outstanding child support payments, they will still need to pay for those. If your ex-spouse isn’t paying child support or you’re having any issues collecting payments from your ex-spouse, you have a couple of legal options available to you.

How Long Will I Receive Child Support Payments?

In general, child support obligations usually last until the child turns 18. But the court may order the extension of support payments even after the child turns 18 if they are still studying full-time in high school and are not yet emancipated or married. The order can likewise be extended until the child graduates from high school or turns 20, whichever happens first.

Reach Out to Our Skilled Cumming Child Support Lawyers Today

The experienced Cumming child support lawyers of Banks, Stubbs & McFarland are dedicated to providing aggressive but compassionate legal representation to our clients. If you are worried or would like to know how remarrying will impact your child support, get in touch with us today to understand your legal options. You can set up your consultation with our Cumming child support lawyer and learn more about your case by filling out our online contact form or calling 770-887-1209.