Dover Child Support Lawyer

When parents are no longer together, a point of contention that almost always comes up is that of child support. You can get help resolving these difficult issues by working with a qualified Dover child support attorney.

Although both parents are legally obligated to provide their children with financial support, this is quite often a problematic area for parents to work through on their own. One parent may feel that the other should be contributing more than they are, or one may feel that the child’s other parent expects more money than they actually need to support the children.

In any case, a Dover child support lawyer at Barros, McNamara, Malkiewicz & Taylor is prepared to fight for your rights. We will do what it takes to ensure that you are able to come to a child support agreement that allows the children to be financially cared for by both parents in a fair and reasonable way.

Establishing a Child Support Order in Dover

More often than not, the non-custodial parent will be the one to pay the custodial parent child support. If the question of paternity arises, a paternity test can be administered to ensure that the father in question is, in fact, financially obligated to provide support for the child.

A child support order will be issued after both parents have attended mediation and discussed what an appropriate monthly child support payment would entail, including expenses for food, shelter, clothing, school supplies, healthcare, extracurricular activities, and any other costs that may come up over the years.

The court will review the plan the parents have signed off on and make it an official, binding agreement. You can expect this to take anywhere from three months or longer, depending on how backed up the court system is and how long it takes you to come to an agreement before your child support order goes into effect.

An experienced child support lawyer in Dover can help expedite this process by helping you address concerns and advocating for your rights.

How Child Support Is Calculated in Delaware

Despite the fact that the parents are no longer going to be sharing a home after a divorce, they are both expected to continue supporting their children financially, no matter what the standing custody arrangement might be.

Many parents who only see their children every other weekend are of the opinion that because they spend less time with the children, they shouldn’t be required to provide as much monetary support as the other parent. Delaware family courts, however, will calculate child support payments using a method known as the Melson formula.

The Melson Formula

This formula takes into consideration the expected financial cost to care for the children if the parents hadn’t made the decision to separate and distributes this cost between the parents. However, this isn’t your final child support order. Both parents will still need to be able to provide for themselves in addition to their children. This amount is known collectively as the “self-support allowance.”

Then, other needs of the children will also be considered, including the cost of health insurance, childcare so that the custodial parent is still able to work, costs of a child who has special needs, and other expenses, such as private school tuition.

Once this standard of living adjustment has been made, your monthly child support will be calculated accordingly. The Melson formula is meant to help ensure that both parents will be able to care for themselves and their children without severely disrupting their standard of living.

Whether you are the parent who is expected to pay child support or the parent who will be receiving the child support payments, your child support attorney in Dover will be able to work with you to ensure that the best interests of your children are always at the forefront of the discussion.

Consult a Dover Child Support Attorney

Arguments surrounding child support often get messy. It’s important that both parents are able to work together so their children don’t end up in the middle of an even more challenging separation.

A seasoned Dover child support lawyer at Barros, McNamara, Malkiewicz & Taylor can help you through this difficult time in your life by advocating for your rights. You can schedule your no-obligation case review today by completing the quick contact form at the bottom of this page or by giving our office a call at 302-734-8400.