Manassas Child Support Lawyer

State law obligates you and your former partner, or former spouse, to provide financial support for any children that you birth or otherwise adopt, until they reach the age of majority, 18 years old, or graduate from high school, whichever is later.

Depending on the child custody arrangement that the parties agree to when they decide to live separately, one parent may be responsible for ensuring that they provide financial support through child support payments to the other parent. This ensures that the parties are dividing the child’s expenses equitably. Generally, the non-custodial parent sends child support payments to the custodial parent, or primary residential parent. In rarer cases, the opposite occurs.

An experienced Manassas family lawyer will understand the details of child support mandates in Virginia. Contact an attorney that can and will work to get you a reasonable and equitable amount in child support, enforce compliance with child support orders, and modify child support orders, as necessary. If you need assistance resolving your child support issues, contact a Manassas child support lawyer for help today.

Determining Child Support

Parents can amicably determine child support and have it memorialized in a child support order. If the parties are unable to make that determination, without court intervention, the court can decide which parent is obligated to pay child support and how much they will pay, if either part is required to do so.

In determining the appropriate amount of child support, the court considers numerous factors, including:

• The average number of days that the non-custodial parent has the child or children annually
• The child’s standard of living prior to separation
• The child’s age, health needs, and emotional and physical health
• The child’s educational needs
• The parent’s contributions to the child’s welfare
• The parent’s financial resources
• The parent’s responsibility for other children
• Other factors that the court deems relevant

An experienced child support attorney in Manassas can help an individual understand the factors associated with determining child support.

Enforcing Child Support Payments

When a child’s other parent fails to make child support payments that their daughter or son is entitled to, it is important to have a Manassas child support lawyer with experience in enforcing child support orders for payments that were overdue or that were not made in full.

It is also important to work with a child support attorney in Manassas that has successfully worked to ensure that future payments were made timely. It may be necessary to involve federal or state courts to force the nonpaying parent to comply with support orders. The courts have multiple methods of doing so, which include:

• Revoking the noncomplying’s parent’s driver’s license
• Intercepting federal tax refunds
• Garnishing wages
• Placing liens against property
• Seizing assets

Contact an Attorney

When searching for a family law attorney that can establish real solutions and useful guidance when you have child support issues, it is important to seek the services of a skilled Manassas child support lawyer that you can trust.

It is pertinent to work with an attorney that will help you anticipate the court’s decision regarding support payments and provide you with the information needed to maximize the benefits that should have available for your child.

It is important to seek a child support attorney in Manassas that will fight to get you the support that your child is entitled to.