Daniel
If
you have children when you file for divorce, you’re going to need to sort out
child support. Even if you and your ex agree to share custody of the children,
odds are, one of you will have to pay child support to the other. And, this
support will continue until your kids are at least eighteen (18) years old.
Making
sure the amount of child support ordered is fair is critical. When your divorce
lawyer in Sydney drafts your property settlement agreement, you want to make
sure this is addressed. If you and your spouse can agree to a fair amount of
support, you may be better off than letting the court determine this for you.
Some
people think that, once child support is ordered, that’s the end of the story.
This couldn’t be further from the truth. Your ex can come back and ask the
court to increase the amount of child support you pay at any time. Of course,
the courts won’t let them do that every few months. In order to ask for a
change in child support, you have to show a significant change in circumstances.
For example, if you lose your job and are out of work for 6 months or more, you
may be entitled to a decrease in support. Or, if you find out your spouse is
earning twice what they did at the time of the divorce, you can request a
modification in child support. When this happens, it’s a good idea to hire a child
support lawyer.
There’s
No Requirement that You Hire a Child Support Lawyer in Sydney
The
law doesn’t require that you hire a child support lawyer. However, it’s a good
idea to do so. The court is going to take a lot of factors into account when
setting child support. Some of these include:
The income of both parents
The number and age of the children
Who is paying childcare expenses
Whether there are special expenses such as school tuition
The
general rule is that, whoever has primary custody of the children will be
entitled to child support. Divorce lawyers in Sydney understand this. That’s
why they’ll make sure you enjoy a fair visitation schedule. If your ex tries to
keep you from seeing your kids, it may be because they want to receive more
child support. An experienced child support lawyer can prevent this from
happening.
