On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Paternity/Child Support on Thursday, June 22, 2017.
When Missouri parents head to court for divorce, they often find themselves facing challenges regarding the future care and financial provisions of their children. Especially where child support issues are concerned, the court is often prompted to make decisions with which one or the other parent might not be satisfied. In fact, in another state, the beginning of July will bring about a new law that drastically changes the guidelines for determining child support matters.
The court typically looks at the income levels of both parents when making decisions regarding whether someone should pay child support. Come July, the court in another state will also review how much parenting time each adult spends with their children. Basically, the more time the paying parent spends with his or her children, the less child support he or she has to pay.
Opinions about the new law vary. Some say it’s good because it’s intended to give full-time parents a financial break. Others say it will amount to nothing more than contentious battles where one parent tries to get as much parenting time as possible to keep payments low, while the other parent tries to withhold parenting time from the paying parent to keep payments higher.
Most Missouri parents realize that the most important aspect of child support is that it’s meant to provide the best care possible for children who are going through major lifestyle changes after their parents divorce. As such, children’s needs and best interests should always be a central focal point during court proceedings where financial matters are at issue. A family law attorney can help protect a parent’s rights and work toward fair and agreeable solutions when problems arise.
Source: ilnews.org, “Divorce attorney: New Illinois law incentivizes one parent to keep child away from the other“, Cole Lauterbach, Accessed on June 22, 2017
