Child support is court-ordered financial support paid by one parent to the other to support the raising of the couple’s child or children when the parents are no longer together due to separation, divorce, or the end of their relationship. Just as child custody and visitation arrangements must be determined, so must the proper amount of child support the noncustodial parent will pay. In New York State, laws exist that explain the requirements in terms of who must pay child support, for how long, and how changes to a support order can be made if one parent’s financial status changes significantly.
The experts at the Law Office of Lance H. Meyer are well versed and practiced in handling all aspects of child support for clients in the greater New York City & Long Island Area as well as the surrounding areas of Westchester and Long Island. Our firm is available to both negotiate a child support agreement on your behalf and also litigate a child support issue for you in court.
Whether you are the parent seeking to receive child support or increase the amount of support you receive from your former spouse or partner, or you are the parent who has been ordered to pay support, your best interests will be represented if you obtain expert legal advice and help from a qualified New York family law attorney. Lance H. Meyer, Esq. is available to take your case and will work at all times on your behalf.
Parents, in general, want to be assured their children are properly cared for. Some parents attempt to reach an agreement on their own regarding how much support will be contributed. While they may have good intentions, the end result is not necessarily fair to one parent or the other. The reason for this is that New York State law has specific calculations and requirements for computing the amount of child support that should be paid, as well as for how long that support must continue. Parents, on their own, can easily miss some of the requirements, and one parent ends up either paying too little or too much.
The Law Office of Lance H. Meyer understands the legal requirements. They ask the right questions of clients and know exactly what to look for so that a proper and appropriate calculation for child support can be made. For example, if you are the parent who has been ordered to pay a certain amount of support but you cannot afford the amount, perhaps because of a significant decrease in income year over year, our attorney will fight on your behalf to get the amount of court-ordered support reduced.
The firm can also provide detailed information to other questions you may have, such as:
- How much child support do I have to pay? – In the simplest of terms, the court bases the amount of support to be paid on two things: each parent’s annual income and the number of children requiring support. Both parents are expected to contribute, of course, but the percentage each pays will be prorated according to their respective earnings. Courts may decide additional support should be paid according to other factors such as a child’s health care expenses.
- How long do I have to pay child support? – In New York State, child support payments must be made until the child turns age 21. If, however, after age 16, the child becomes an emancipated minor (that is, lives away from both parents and is not in foster care) and is financially self-supporting, or the child marries or enters the military, then child support payments can stop. When this happens, the parent paying child support must formally petition the court to be allowed to stop paying support.
- How can I reduce the amount of child support I have been ordered to pay? – If your financial situation has changed and you can no longer afford to make the full amount of the payment, you must file a petition for modification to the order. A petition must be filed, even if you have reache an agreement with the other parent.
- Are my ex-spouse and I obligated to use the court’s guidelines to determine the amount of child support to be paid? – No. If you have reached an agreement that is mutually satisfactory to both parents, then you do not have to use the Court’s child support payment guidelines. Your waiver agreement must be in writing and it must also state that both parents have reviewed and understand certain relevant legal information and that you waive your legal rights under the law. Your written agreement must be submitted to, and approved by, the Court.
The legalities surrounding both the requests for, and calculations of, child support are not always as easy as submitting a federal income tax return to the Court. Lance Meyer, Esq., and the entire staff at Law Office of Lance H. Meyer provide legal support in all matters pertaining to child support.
Attorney Lance Meyer is a member of the American Bar Association, the New York State Bar Association, and the Nassau County Bar Association. We offer a complimentary consultation to get to know you, and so you can learn about us. Our fees are reasonable, and we offer discounts to military veterans, police officers, fire fighters, court officers, New York State court employees, and New York State teachers.