Charlotte Child Support Attorney

Experienced Legal Support for North Carolina Parents

Every parent has an obligation to financially support his or her minor child. This can become especially important when parents separate and finances suffer. In some cases, divorcing parents may disagree on the matter of child support. Other cases may hinge on the fact that the supporting parent is delinquent or failing altogether on payments. Finally, when changing financial or other circumstances impact this issue, modifications to the existing court order may need to be requested.

If you are having child support problems as either the supported or supporting parent, you should seek competent legal help. Rech Law, P.C. has focused primarily on family law during our time in practice, which has given us the kind of experience that can make a difference. Our Charlotte child support lawyers offer legal support that is highly responsive and compassionate. We understand the difficult nature of divorce with its many emotional issues for parents and their children. That is why we strive to make the legal process as smooth and painless as possible.

How North Carolina Child Support Is Determined

State guidelines determine child support based on the gross incomes of both parents. These guidelines are used when the two parents combined income does not exceed $360,000 per year (or $30,000 a month). If the parties' combined income is greater than $360,000 per year, then the guidelines will not apply and a judge will award child support based upon the reasonable needs of the child and the parents’ ability to pay. Payments are made to the custodial parent by the other spouse to support the child’s needs in regards to health, education, and maintenance.

Additionally, in determining child support, courts consider:

• The standard of living enjoyed by the child and parents prior to divorce;
• Childcare and homemaker contributions of each parent;
• The parents’ earnings;
• The health conditions of the parents;
• The estates of both parents; and
• Any other facts particular to the case.

The gross incomes of the parents include income from any source, such as employment or self-employment income, ownership of a business, retirement or pension funds, rental property income, investment income, government benefits, and more.

Other considerations factored into the state guidelines for calculating child support include health insurance for the child, work-related childcare costs, and extraordinary expenses. In some cases, the court may deviate from state guidelines when they do not meet or would exceed a child’s needs. In these instances, the court will consider what the guidelines would calculate, what the child’s needs are, and why the calculated amount by the guidelines would not be appropriate.

North Carolina Child Support Worksheet

In North Carolina, there are three worksheets used to calculate child support:

• Worksheet A is used when one parent has primary physical custody of all of the children for whom support is being determine and they spend more than 243 nights a year with one parent.
• Worksheet B is for joint/shared custody. When using Worksheet B, you will need to know the number of nights the child spends with each parent during the year.
• Worksheet C is used when there is more than one child and custody of the children is split between the parties. This happens when the mother has custody of one child and the father has custody of the other.

Once you determine which worksheet is applicable to your case, you can input your numbers into our child support calculator to determine what the child support obligation will be. This should give you an accurate idea of the child support you will owe or be owed in your case.

Can Child Support Be Modified?

Child support can be modified at any time. A party may make a motion to the Court requesting the modification when there is a substantial change in circumstance. Those changes might be related to the party’s income or the child’s needs. The burden of proof is on the party requesting the modification to show that a substantial change has occurred.

Capable Assistance from Our Charlotte Child Support Attorneys

If you are struggling with a child support matter, let one of our highly qualified attorneys step in to help you resolve it. We are extremely adept in handling this type of divorce issue. We will listen closely to your concerns and apply our proven legal skills to help you seek a positive outcome.