Being a single parent is not easy work, as you try to balance the needs of your child with the monetary pressures that come along with the role of mother or father. You may worry that you don’t have enough funds to give your child the best life possible, which is why you may consider pursuing child support payments from the other parent. If you want to know what you can do to help your kids get the financial support they need, then read on for information.
File Your Request Early
As soon as you know that you could benefit from child support payments, that is when you should take the steps necessary to initiate that request. Depending on the area you reside, you may or may not receive retroactive payments. The earlier to file, the more financial support you can receive for your child. Keep in mind that it may take months to negotiate or win a child support case in court. You can try mediation with the other parent in hopes of reaching an agreement you are both happy with, but when that is not possible, a family court judge will decide the outcome instead.
Have Proof Ready
After filing your child support request, you and your lawyer have to gather supportive evidence that shows your child care expenses, health insurance, income, and other expenses or earnings. Both parents will have to present the same financial documents, so it’s important to be cooperative and transparent. A judge who finds out that a parent has lied about their income or expenses in order to benefit from child support payments may have their request immediately dismissed or other repercussions. As a child support lawyer Kansas City, KS families trust from the Law Office of Daniel E. Stuart, P.A. would inform clients, you may be required to show documents related to:
- Business income
- Expenses list
- Child care or babysitting costs
- Recent tax returns from past three years
- Most recent pay stubs
- Health care insurance premiums
- Medical deductibles or copays
If you are married and are part of a child support case, then you may have to report your spouse’s earnings as well if you file taxes jointly. The income of your spouse will not affect your payments, however as a lawyer from the Law Office of Daniel E. Stuart, P.A. can attest, it can impact how tax is calculated with your gross income.
Avoid Parenting Revenge
Child support cases can become contentious quickly, and parents may become so upset to the point that they use their custodial parenting time to force the non-custodial parent to pay the child support amounts. If a parent refuses to pay, you can notify the court and request that the terms are enforced. The court has means of obtaining payments from a parent who avoids doing so. The best thing you can do is avoid using your child as means to coax payments from the other parent.