Child Support

I have previously written blog entries about how Pennsylvania courts calculate child support. The basic child support calculation is relatively straight forward and largely dependent on the parent's relative incomes. However, after the court calculates a basic child...

Pennsylvania law provides a guideline spreadsheet that establishes a base amount of money that parents must contribute toward child support. It begins by taking the parties' combined net income and then delineates a basic amount that the parties shall pay for one to...

Once a support order is entered by a Pennsylvania Court, the order is always modifiable. The Court recognizes that people change jobs, get raises, are laid off and experience fluctuation in income throughout their lives. Therefore, if you are paying child or spousal...

The payment and collection of child support can be a contentious issue between parents following separation or divorce. The issue can be a sensitive one even when the obligor is making regular payments. However, if the party with the support obligation fails or...

With the end of the year just past and tax season on the horizon, an important issue that I encounter regularly in my family law practice revolves around which spouse is permitted to claim the child or children on their taxes.The general rule is that a parent can...

I recently had a prospective client contact my office looking to file for child support. In this case, mother was the primary caregiver and was not employed. The child's father however, was collecting Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. Mother wanted to know...

I have recently received a number of calls from prospective clients asking whether if having a new family has any affect on a child support obligation. The answer is, maybe. The entire question turns on the amounts of money earned by all relevant parties: the parents...

I have recently fielded some questions regarding the termination of child support orders. Specifically, prospective clients have contacted me wondering why, after their child has turned 18, the support order wasn't automatically terminated. After all, once the child...

Parents with partial custody often approach me with questions about how to handle providing money to the other parent when there is a child support obligation. Often, not only does the obligor owe money via the court order, he or she gets pressure from the parent with...

As a family law attorney, some of the most common questions I deal with address child support. Specifically, non-custodial parents often ask, "Why do I owe so much money in support?" The short answer, of course, is because the Court has determined that the child or...