Child Support Legal Answers

Do my side jobs count toward my child support obligation?

Since COVID hit, my hours at work have been cut and to make up the difference, I’ve been doing side jobs as a carpenter under the table. My ex found out about this and is threatening to take me back to court to have the court consider the extra money I’m now making and possibly increase child support. This is ridiculous because I’m only working these jobs to make up for the income I’ve lost from my regular job. Can she actually get more child support from me if a judge adds in my side work income? Is there any way I can go after her for legal fees if I have to hire a lawyer to fight this and she loses?

San Diego, CA

Mar 15, 2021

What is a medical child support order?

My kids’ mother has filed a child support action against me and in it she’s asking that the court issue a ‘medical support order’ and make me provide health insurance for my kids on top of child support. Insurance at my company is extremely expensive and if I carry my kids on the plan there is no way I can pay child support also. I think it makes more sense for her to cover the kids on her insurance, it’s cheaper. What exactly is a medical support order and can I fight it? If I am required to provide health insurance for the kids, could a judge waive child support? Also, how do I respond to her court papers? The paperwork says I have a certain amount of days to respond but is that from when she filed the papers or when I received them?

San Francisco, CA

Mar 15, 2021

Does my Ex’s New Husband’s income factor into child support?

I’ve been paying my ex child support for our two kids since we divorce. In the last year, she’s remarried to a very wealthy guy and now my kids live in a huge house with him and get just about everything they want. My ex even quit her job because she no longer needs to work. I’m struggling to meet my own family’s needs while still paying her child support for the kids. It makes no sense that she’s still taking my money when our kids clearly no longer need it. Does her husband’s income count at all in the calculation of my child support? Is there anything I can do based on these circumstances to reduce or stop my child support?

San Jose, CA

Mar 15, 2021

How do I modify child support in Chicago if I’m working less?

My son’s mother and I both live in the Chicago area and I’ve been regularly paying child support for over 5 years. My work has cut back my hours during the pandemic and have not let us know when, or if, we’ll be returning to our regular hours. I’ve tried to make the court-ordered payments as long as I can by working side jobs and selling some of my property, but I can’t keep it up much longer. My ex says if I don’t pay the exact amount in the court order she’ll file for contempt against me. What can I do to get my child support lowered, at least while COVID-19 is still causing shutdowns, and what do I do if she does file contempt papers?

Chicago, IL

Mar 15, 2021

How can I collect back child support?

My kids’ mother hasn’t paid child support in months, and she owes about $4000 in back support. She’s promised to pay it but does nothing, and the back amount just gets larger. Is there anything I can do to force her to make the regular payments on time and to collect on the child support arrears that she owes? When I talked to an attorney awhile back he said we couldn’t garnish her wages because she’s self-employed. I’ve read online that I might be able to intercept any tax return she gets and put it toward the child support, but I’m not sure how to do that.

Las Vegas, NV

Mar 15, 2021

Can I get child support taken out of my ex’s paycheck?

I’ve heard you can garnish someone’s wages for child support. I looked at the Pennsylvania child support website and I can’t figure out exactly how to go about getting a wage lien. My ex is always late with his payments or pays less than what he’s supposed to even though he’s working a steady job. I’m tired of hounding him about it and I just want to get the child support each month without dealing directly with him. What do I need to do to get the support directly from his paycheck and do I need a lawyer or should I just contact the Philadelphia child support office?

Philadelphia, PA

Mar 15, 2021

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