Seattle Family Law Attorneys

Child Support Lawyers

Child support refers to the financial support paid from one parent to another, usually from the non-custodial parent to the custodial parent.  Under Washington law, if a divorcing couple has children, the child support terms must be determined before the marriage can be legally dissolved.  Whether you need help establishing child support, or need assistance enforcing the payment of child support, a Seattle family lawyer from our firm can help you. 

Child Support Payments

In most cases, when one parent is awarded sole legal or physical custody, the other parent will be required make payments to the custodial parent to fulfill child support obligations.  If joint custody is awarded to both parents, child support payments will be based on how much money each individual parent earns and how much time the children spend with each parent. 

Under the Federal Child Support Enforcement Act, there are guidelines to calculate the amount of child support that is to be paid by one or both parents.  Based on the parent’s incomes and predicted expenses, a Seattle judge will use the following guidelines to determine the amount of child support:

• The standard of living before the separation or divorce.
• The income and financial requirements of the custodial parent.
• The non-custodial parent’s ability to pay.
• The child’s needs (health insurance, education, day care, and other expenses stemming from special needs). 

Child Support Enforcement

Sometimes in Seattle, for many different reasons, the non-custodial parent will fail to fulfill child support requirements.  Failure to meet child support obligations is serious and the parent can be held accountable for not paying child support.  At our Seattle firm, our family law attorneys know what needs to be done in order to enforce child support.  Whether you are having trouble making child support payments because of loss of employment or are seeking back child support from an ex-spouse, an attorney from our firm is sure to be able to help you. 

Contact a Seattle family law attorney today to discuss any child support issues you may be facing!