Maryland Child Support Enforcement Lawyer
Raising a child can be exhausting and expensive, especially when the other parent refuses to participate in the financial upbringing of the child. Child support cases can be draining, but parents are ultimately responsible for financially supporting their children. If you are not receiving the payments you are entitled to, there may be a way to make the other parent pay.
An experienced child support attorney can help you obtain what you are owed or draft or modify a current agreement to ensure your child receives what they are entitled to under the law. It is important to hire an attorney who can guide you through the process of obtaining child support, no matter how simple you think your case may be. Talk to a Maryland child support enforcement lawyer to discuss your specific situation.
What is Child Support and Who Pays It?
Child support is meant to ensure a child has the financial support they need from their non-custodial parent. The parent who has custody of the child is known as the custodial parent, and they will receive the child support. Just because a person does not have custody of their child does not mean they are exempt from contributing to their financial wellbeing and future.
As an experienced lawyer can explain, courts enforce one parent to pay child support depending on the Maryland Child Support Guidelines which is mandated by state law. Ordering a person to pay this support ensures their child is receiving financial support from two parents. It is also meant to ensure the custodial parent does not end up dependent on state-sponsored public programs such as welfare.
Payments can even be ordered in cases where a parent has little to no contact with their child and the custodial parent, it is not dependent on contact or visitation with the child.
The amount of child support a person pays is dependent on their gross income. In general, the more a person makes, the more child support they will be ordered to pay. The arrangements can also change if both parents choose to share physical custody of their child. In Maryland, shared physical custody is defined as each parent keeping the child overnight for 92 overnights or more.
Calculating Child Support in Maryland
The state uses a fixed equation to calculate the amount of child support a parent must pay. The equation is referred to as the Child Support Guidelines, and the figure it produces will depend on the following factors:
- Incomes: The equation will take the gross income of both parents or guardians into consideration.
- Custody and Visitation Rights: Compensation may be determined by the amount of overnights the child spends with each parent
- Child Care Expenses: costs, such as transportation, school tuition, daycare, , health insurance costs, extraordinary medical expenses, and work-related child care, and special needs may be entered into the formula.
The figure produced by the equation will be used unless the court provides specific reasons why it should not apply. If a Maryland parent does not receive the child support they are owed, they may be able to receive it with the help of a lawyer who can help them enforce the payments.
Contact a Maryland Child Support Enforcement Attorney
If you are struggling to get the payments you need from the non-custodial parent of your child, you are not alone. With the help of an attorney, you may be able to hold the other parent of your child accountable for the money they owe. Contact a Maryland child support enforcement lawyer for additional information today.
