Child Support
Lawyer California
Child support helps ensure children have the financial resources they need after their parents separate or divorce.
The key to a successful arrangement is determining an amount that meets the children's needs and is also within the paying parent's means.
The Dadvocates help fathers throughout California reach or adjust child support agreements to meet both of these criteria.
We Can Handle Any Child Support Issue
Child support orders aren't set in stone. Changing circumstances regarding your job, your health, and more can make multiple adjustments necessary before your children are legally considered adults. In addition to helping you reach a child support agreement after divorce or separation, The Dadvocates can help you navigate a number of related matters, including:
- Child support modifications
- Reducing child support payments
- Disputes about child-related expenses
- Child support order enforcement
- Collecting back child support
- Wage garnishments
- Interstate child support cases
- Disputes about child support extensions after the age of 18 (or 19 under certain circumstances)
Child support obligations are a serious matter in the eyes of the court. Let us help you take all the right steps for the benefit of you and your family.
Whether you are a father who needs to make adjustments in your monthly payment amount to your child's other parent, or a father in need of child support, The Dadvocates are here to help.
Reach Out to Our Family Law Firm For Representation that Rises Above Stereotypes
The Dadvocates understand that when it comes to matters of child support, the discussion isn't exclusively a matter of fathers paying mothers each month. In fact, the United States Census Bureau reports that custodial fathers—meaning men who have the majority of physical custody —have become more common in the last few decades. In 2018, more than 20 percent of custodial parents were fathers, compared to 16 percent in 1994.
Whether you are a father who needs to make adjustments in your monthly payment amount to your child's other parent, or a father in need of child support, The Dadvocates are here to help reach an agreement that serves your child's best interests while allowing you to be the best father you can be. To get started, please complete our contact form or call us:
(818) 824-5800
Establishing Initial Child Support Orders
Are you facing a divorce or separation? There can be a number of complicated factors at play that could result in an unfair child support arrangement. For example, your child's other parent could be hiding assets or income, resulting in lower child support payments than you need. Or you may be facing criminal charges that could result in less child custody and higher child support payments.
The Dadvocates are committed to bringing the truth to light in order to protect your children's best interests.
The Dadvocates can help you calculate an estimated amount of child support obligation and use it as a starting point in making a case for an amount that meets your needs.
How Child Support Payments Are Determined by California Courts
Child support amounts in California are determined according to several factors, including the amount of income each parent earns, the amount of parenting time each parent is granted under the terms of the divorce or separation, and any applicable tax deductions.
California Child Support Calculator
The State of California has provided an online calculator that can give you an estimate of what your monthly child support obligation will be. In order to get your estimate, you will need:
- The gross income each parent earns
- Each parent's percentage of parenting time
- Tax deductions (such as mortgage interest) that each parent can claim
- Mandatory payroll deductions (such as health insurance and pensions)
- Each parent's childcare expenses
Get Insight from Our Child Support Lawyers
Completing the calculation requires some understanding of state and federal tax laws, as well as California family law. A child support attorney with The Dadvocates can help you calculate an estimated amount of child support obligation and use that information as an important starting point in making a case for an amount that meets your needs.
Start This New Phase of Life on the Right Foot Contact Our Child Support Attorneys in California
Child custody is an issue that can turn the separation or divorce process into a contentious struggle. You need an attorney versed in divorce and child custody issues who can advocate for a support agreement that is fair while meeting the children's needs. Our firm has represented both custodial and non-custodial fathers in these very difficult matters, making it possible to serve the children's best interests without compromising a father's ability to be a nurturing presence. Get in touch today to start taking the right steps forward.
If you have suffered an injury, lost your job, or face other significant obstacles that could hamper your ability to pay child support, reach out to our child support lawyers, and together we will take it up with the courts.
Adjusting Child Support Payments
Our needs and our means change throughout our lives. With our help, you can make adjustments to child support accordingly.
For example, if you are a custodial parent who is no longer able to work at your previous capacity due to injury, we can substantiate the need for increased support. Or, if you are a non-custodial parent whose custody is increased, we can advocate for adjustments that reflect the increased amount of time your children are in your direct care.
Call The Dadvocates
if you or your co-parent:
- Lose your job
- Change jobs
- Experience a decrease or increase in income
- Achieve an adjusted amount of child custody or parenting time
- Have more children
- Develop a disability
- Become incarcerated
- Are a service person who is currently or will soon be deployed
We will gather all pertinent information to demonstrate how an adjustment in child support payment amounts will benefit your child.
Missed Child Support Payments: Two Common Circumstances
Failing to pay child support is a crime that can be punishable by jail time or fines. As a statewide firm that handles many child support cases, we understand that missed payments can occur due to a number of reasons and can have very different meanings for each parent.
The Paying Parent Owes Me
Delinquent Child Support
Your children depend on these child support payments for their basic needs and other expenses that are essential to their quality of life. Even if you decide to sacrifice your own needs in order to make up for this lack of support, the fact is that this solution takes a toll on your health and happiness in ways that affect your ability to be the best father you can be. With our help, you can hold your child's other parent accountable through garnished wages or other measures that ensure you receive the support your family needs.
I Am Unable to Pay
the Child Support I Owe
It can be easy to take your means of earning a living for granted until, for one reason or another, it is gone. Despite the prevalent "deadbeat dad" stereotype, the fact is that a number of circumstances beyond your control can take a toll on your ability to provide support. If you have become disabled, have been fired or laid off, or had to take a lower-paying job, don't make the mistake of delaying a dialogue with the courts. We can illustrate your situation to the courts in pursuit of adjustments that will allow you to avoid penalties and provide the amount of support you can afford.
It Doesn't Pay to Let Time Pass When Your Children's Quality of Life Is at Stake
Are you waiting for late child support payments? Your capacity to provide a beneficial quality of life for your children is only going to diminish. Are you a parent who cannot afford to pay what you owe due to legitimate hardships in your life? Contempt of court, jail time, and other harsh penalties could be right around the corner.
A family law attorney with The Dadvocates can analyze the facts of your child support case and provide the dedicated advocacy you deserve. We serve men throughout the state of California, and we are ready to put you in touch with a child support attorney near you. Virtual consultations are available if you are unable to meet your attorney in person. To book a consultation, please call:
(818) 824-5800
A family law attorney with The Dadvocates can analyze the facts of your child support case, recommend the best way forward in order to meet your needs, and provide the dedicated advocacy you deserve.
Do Paying Parents Have a Right to Know
How Receiving Parents Spend Child Support Payments?
It's common for parents to want confirmation that the money they pay each month is being used specifically for the benefit of the children. But California does not give paying parents any right to know how the child support payments are being spent. This is largely due to the fact that so many day-to-day expenses, from gasoline to the electric bill, are contributing to the well-being of the children. In other words, it would be virtually impossible to document how every penny of every child support payment is directly benefiting the child.
However, this does not mean that either parent is powerless if disputes related to this issue arise. Are you a receiving parent who is being continually harassed by a paying parent over how these payments are spent? Are you a paying parent who has reason to believe that your children's well-being is suffering due to misuse of child support payments? Give The Dadvocates a call. We can review your case and pursue action that will ultimately serve your children's best interests.
How Long Does a Parent Owe Child Support?
3 Reasons to Hire the Dadvocates To Help You With Your Child Support Needs
We're a Family Law Firm
The Dadvocates regularly help men and fathers throughout the state of California navigate divorce, custody, and child support. Our lawyers help dads achieve the outcome that serves their children's best interests while also allowing them to be the devoted parents their children need. Rest assured, we have handled cases like yours but also understand that you have unique circumstances and needs that will determine the very best approach.
We're Also a Criminal Law Firm
If you have a criminal record or if you face criminal charges or accusations—meaning you have not been convicted or haven't necessarily been charged—it could affect your case. Fortunately, our attorneys are versed in both criminal and family law and understand how they relate. We can analyze the facts of your case and help you avoid unjust ramifications due to exaggerated or false claims, or illustrate why your criminal record should have little or no bearing on the outcome of your case.
We Stand With Dads
There are many stereotypes and preconceived notions surrounding child support and other family law matters. Despite the best efforts of the courts to remain objective, these prevailing notions about men and their child support obligations can influence the outcome of your case. Our law firm is focused on providing representation that rises above these obstacles by presenting fact-based legal representation for the benefit of your children.
Kids need financial support as well as a dad who is present and able to provide love and guidance. Our family law attorneys are ready to fight for both of these needs on behalf of you and your children.
Contact a Family Law Attorney Now Our Family Law Firm Understands the Challenges Fathers Face
Too many people in the world see child support payments as an obligation that belongs exclusively to men and believe they will do anything to shirk the responsibility. The Dadvocates understand that this conception is sexist and often incorrect. Our job is to substantiate the truth for the benefit of your children. Time and again, this is exactly what we have done for fathers throughout California—we are ready to do the same for you. We can also help with matters of spousal support and other family law issues.
To book your initial case review, complete our request form or call us directly:
(818) 824-5800
If you have questions about child support in California, reach out to us first to book your private case review.
California Child Support FAQ
When you face serious legal issues that involve your children, there is no substitute for a consultation with a family law attorney. If you have questions about child support in California, please reach out to us to book your private case review. Until we are able to meet, we invite you to explore these answers to the most common questions regarding child support in the Golden State:
WHAT DETERMINES THE AMOUNT OF CHILD SUPPORT A PARENT OWES?
The formula California uses to make this determination is quite complicated, but three of the most significant factors considered are each parent's gross income, their percentage of parenting time, and the number of children in need of support. In very general terms, if you earn a significantly higher income than your child's other parent, have 20 percent custody, and have three children, you will pay more than if you earn a low income, share 50-50 custody, and have only one child.HOW LONG IS MY CHILD ENTITLED TO CHILD SUPPORT?
In California, a parent can be obligated to pay child support until the child is 18, or until they are 19 if they are unmarried and still enrolled in high school. The obligation can end early if the child becomes self-sufficient through emancipation or marriage, but it can actually extend into legal adulthood if you owe back payments.
How Is Child Support Taxed?
The state and the IRS have the same answer to this question: As with spousal support, paying parties can't deduct their child support payments. Unlike spousal support, receiving parties don't pay taxes on child support. If you are a receiving parent filing a tax return, you should not include child support payments when calculating gross income. A child support lawyer with The Dadvocates can help you calculate your projected payments. We will advocate for an amount that harmonizes with your children's needs and the payer's means.
There is no way I can afford my child support payments. Should I take it up with my child's other parent without involving the courts?
Even if you are on completely amicable terms with your child's other parent, this is a bad idea that could land you in jail and incur other serious penalties. Failing to comply with child support orders can make your life even more difficult if you simply let deadlines pass. If you have suffered an injury, lost your job, or face other significant obstacles that could hamper your ability to pay child support, reach out to our child support lawyers. We will take it up with the courts together.
