Beverly Hills Child Support Attorney
Part of being a parent is making sure that your children are taken care of financially. When you are married and/or live with your child’s other parent, it can be pretty simple to make sure your kids are cared for.
Things can get tricky when parents in Beverly Hills get divorced. If you are struggling with a child support matter, our Beverly Hills divorce attorneys are here to help.
Families in Beverly Hills have trusted the child support attorneys at Berenji & Associates for more than 25 years. Our attorneys have helped thousands of parents navigate their most sensitive and important family disputes, including Beverly Hills spousal support, property division, child custody, and more.
We understand how important it is for you to make sure that your child receives the support he or she needs. It is our mission to help you identify the best child support arrangement and fight to make it a reality. Contact us today at (310) 271-6290 to schedule a case evaluation and learn more.
Duty to Support Minors in Beverly Hills
In California, both parents share an obligation to financially support children under the age of 18. This obligation can also be extended if children are disabled and/or unable to care for themselves. When you are married, it’s easy to make sure that the kids get the support they need.
Things can become complicated when parents get divorced. Unfortunately, negative emotions and feelings between parents can adversely affect their children. It is not uncommon for parents to be resistant to paying child support. Many times, parents falsely assume that the child’s other parent will just take the money and use it for themselves.
Misuse of child support is a crime. A parent’s utmost concern should be about the well-being of their children.
Marriage Not a Requirement For Support
Biological parents in California assume a financial responsibility to a child the moment it is born. It doesn’t matter if the parents are not married, engaged, dating, or even in a relationship. If one parent fails to provide for their child, the other parent can file a request for child support. If the parent is male, it may be necessary to establish paternity before an order for child support can be issued.
Making Sure a Child’s Needs Are Met
Parents have a responsibility to financially support their children. What level of support is required? How can a parent satisfy this obligation? California law provides some answers. Family Code § 3900 explains that parents must support their children in a way that is “suitable to the child’s circumstances.” This basically means that parents have to provide enough to maintain a child’s health, safety, and well-being. If parents get divorced, support payments must be sufficient to allow children to maintain the same lifestyle they were accustomed to prior to the split.
Determining Child Support Obligations
Which parent will be required to pay child support? Precisely much will that parent be required to pay every month? The answer will depend on your specific situation. In fact, your child custody arrangements will have a very large impact on financial support obligations.
Calculating Child Support Requirements
California courts apply a mandatory formula when calculating a parent’s child support obligations. There are two primary factors that will influence the result:
- Each parent’s income; and
- The amount of time each parent spends with the child.
Any other factors that may be relevant to the calculation can be considered at the court’s discretion.
Why do courts use this mandatory formula, rather than figuring out an appropriate child support figure on their own? The formula was introduced as a way to “encourage fair and efficient settlements of conflicts between parents” It also “seeks to minimize the need for litigation.”
Simply put, the formula is designed to make sure that child support obligations are objective and fair. Each parent’s income and ability to pay is fully considered, as is the amount of time each parent spends with the child.
Timeshare Custody and Support Obligations
Generally speaking, the custodial parent (i.e., parent with whom the child primarily lives) will be entitled to receive child support. The theory behind this arrangement is that the custodial parent spends time and money on the child every day. The non-custodial parent can help contribute to the child’s well being by offering financial assistance. This money is intended to supplement the custodial parent’s contributions.
The amount of child support a non-custodial parent has to pay will be directly related to how much time they spend with their child. The percentage of time a child lives with you is known as your timeshare. The greater your timeshare, the lower your child support obligations.
There are specific calculations to help parents understand their timeshare custody percentage. It is important to make sure that your timeshare is calculated properly. These calculations are done down to the hour. Errors could jeopardize the amount of support your child gets.
Mandatory Financial Disclosures
When you request child support you and the child’s other parent will be required to complete and submit financial disclosures. These disclosures must reflect your:
- Income
- Savings
- Assets
- Benefits, and
- Expenses.
These forms are completed under Oath, so you must do everything in your power to make sure that they are accurate. Courts rely on these financial disclosures to calculate appropriate and fair child custody payments.
Modifying a Child Support Order
When child support obligations are calculated by a court, those figured will be presumed to be correct. However, there will be times when the court’s calculation fails to take certain relevant factors into account. In some cases, a parent may fail to disclose all of their income. Other times, a parent’s financial situation may simply change. This would call for a request to modify a child support order.
When you ask to modify an existing order you must show that there is good cause for the change. Family courts in Los Angeles County are incredibly busy. As a result, you will only have a very limited window of time in front of a judge. In most cases, you will probably not get more than 30 minutes in court.
It will be important to present your case swiftly and with confidence. Our Beverly Hills child support attorneys will make sure that we are able to convey your concerns to the court in this very limited amount of time. We will highlight evidence showing that there is good cause for modifying your existing child support order. Our attorneys have experience getting orders reduced and dismissed. We will fight to achieve the result you want.
Get Help With Your Beverly Hills Child Support Order
It’s important to make sure that your children have everything they need. Child support can play an incredibly important role in your child’s life. At Berenji & Associates, APC, we are here to help you resolve your child support disputes. Call us today to schedule a case evaluation with our Beverly Hills child support attorneys. We will review the details of your case and devise a strategy to achieve the outcome you want.