Child Support Attorney in Phoenix

How is child support determined?

Arizona has guidelines that apply to all child support cases. The guidelines take into consideration a number of factors:

• Combined income of both parents (whether either parent has other children not from the marriage or otherwise pays or receives support or whether either parent pays or receives spousal maintenance)
• Daycare costs and which parent pays for it
• Health insurance costs, and which parent pays for it
• Special medical or educational needs of the child
• The child’s age
• Amount of time the parent paying support actually spends with the child

How is child support paid?

Once ordered, child support payments are generally taken directly out of the wages of the party paying support and sent to the court. The court then sends the support to the party receiving the child support payments. The court keeps records of the exact amounts of child support payments received and the dates received in case there are any future disputes.

Can child support payments be made in a form other than money?

No, child support must be paid in money — not in clothes or gifts.

How long must child support payments be paid?

Child support orders apply to any child under the age of 18, or until the child is 19 if the child is still attending high school or an equivalency program. If a child is mentally or physically handicapped, the Judge may order that support payments continue indefinitely.

Can the parties vary from the child support guidelines?

In some circumstances, the parties can request that the court allow them to vary from the child support guidelines. The court is not required to allow such a variance.

Each family and each child support case is different. What your friend pays or receives in child support has no bearing on what you may pay or receive. Our family law attorneys can help you understand how the guidelines apply to your particular case.

We take sides at the R. J. Peters & Associates law firm. This is an important concept that we do not take lightly. Settlement of the difficult issues which arise in family law matters is always an important effort, but not always possible. Our child support lawyers focus on fighting for our clients whether in settlement efforts or in litigation. Our only business is family law. From our office located near downtown Phoenix, we represent clients in Maricopa County and throughout Arizona.