Child Support Lawyers in Traverse City, Michigan

The child support lawyers in Traverse City, Michigan at the Neumann Law Group work with parents who are going through a divorce, parents who live separately, and mothers and fathers who are seeking support from their child’s non-custodial parent. Child support is money that one parent is ordered to pay the custodial parent, when both parents don’t live together. Child support money can go to paying for a child’s medical care, dental care, child care expenses, personal expenses, and more.

In order to have a child support order put in place, individuals either file for divorce, or paternity must be established if both parents are not married. When filing for divorce, couples will be asked to develop a parenting plan and child support will also be determined during the divorce settlement process. Establishing paternity can happen in various ways, either voluntarily or through genetic testing that is ordered by the court.

Do you have questions about how to get a parent to pay child support if your child’s non-custodial parent won’t pay child support? Do you have questions about how much in child support you may be entitled to receive for your child? Are you going through a divorce and have questions about how you’ll make ends meet as your child’s primary caretaker? Have your financial circumstances changed due to the pandemic, and do you have questions about modifying a child support order? The Neumann Law Group is a child support law firm in Traverse City, Michigan that may be able to help you.

How is Child Support Calculated in Michigan?

Under Michigan law parents have a legal responsibility and obligation to support their children. When both parents live with the children, the state generally doesn’t get involved, but when one parent has primary custody of the children and the other parent doesn’t live with the children, the courts may get involved through child support orders.

Child support is determined based upon the gross income of both parents, the child’s needs, and other factors, including how much time the children live with each parent. Under Michigan Law, gross income can include salary or wages, business income (including self-employment income and independent contracts), disability benefits, workers’ compensation benefits, unemployment compensation, pensions and retirement benefits, social security benefits, spousal support from a prior marriage, interest, dividends, rental income, royalty income, trust income, and other income. The court may also consider the child’s standard of living when the child was living with both parents and calculate child support to maintain that standard of living. Ultimately, both parents are expected to contribute to the support of the child, and the courts will determine an amount that is needed to support the child and split this amount between both parents based on their earnings, how much time the parents spend with the children, and other factors.

Do you need help figuring out how much child support you are legally entitled to receive? The law offers flexibility for parents who can claim special circumstances or special needs for their children. For example, parents may be required to pay for a child’s medical insurance if the child isn’t currently insured. Child support orders can help make this possible. Sometimes parents’ ability to pay or children’s needs evolve and change, and child support amounts must be modified. Contact the child support attorneys at the Neumann Law Group in Traverse City, Michigan today to learn more.

Parent Choosing Not to Work to Avoid Paying Child Support in Traverse City, Michigan?

Sometimes non-custodial parents who have been ordered to pay child support refuse to pay. Fortunately, there are various ways Michigan can get your former spouse or partner to pay child support. Methods include income withholding, intercepting tax refunds, hearings, liens, passport denial, license suspension and more.

There are situations where parents refuse to get a job to avoid having to pay child support. Michigan law has provisions in place to protect the custodial parent in these situations. If a parent can work, but chooses not to work, and there isn’t a clear reason why he or she isn’t working (disability, recent lay-off), the court may determine that he or she is willfully unemployed. If this is the case, you may be able to seek a court order that will require the parent to pay child support in accordance with his or her education, training, and prevailing wages in the community.

If you are a custodial parent and aren’t being paid the child support you deserve, reach out to the child support lawyers at the Neumann Law Group in Traverse City, Michigan today. We can help you with the process of getting your child the support he or she needs and deserves. You are not alone and your child deserves to be supported by both parents.