Concord Child Support Lawyers, North Carolina

Ensuring that your child’s financial needs are met on a daily basis

Raising a child is expensive. Your child needs a home, clothes, and food. Children need healthcare, computers, schoolbooks, sporting equipment, and many other costly items. When spouses divorce and when unmarried parents separate, your child deserves to live in conditions that are as close as possible to their comfort level before the divorce or separation. Our Concord child support lawyers work to ensure there is an official court order that requires that one parent pays the other parent money for their child on a regular basis through the Cabarrus County courts. Epperson Law Group, PLLC will explain to you how child support is determined, when it can be changed, and how it’s enforced.

How can we help?

What factors determine the amount of child support in North Carolina?
Who is responsible for paying child support in Concord?
What expenses does a child support order pay?
How long does a child support order last?
Can a child support order be modified in Concord?
How does child support work when parents aren’t married?
Can a parent stop child support payments if their visitation rights aren’t being honored?
Do you have a Concord child support lawyer near me?

What factors determine the amount of child support in North Carolina?

North Carolina has specific guidelines that determine the amount of child support. The guidelines generally focus on the income of the parents, not their expenses. The guidelines review the following factors:

The income of each parent
The number of dependent children of each parent
The child custody order and the parenting plan
The child’s needs, including expenses for:
- Healthcare including expenses if your child has special needs
- Childcare
- Education

Your child’s expenses may change as your child enters school and as your child grows.

Sadly, there are many parents who try to hide or minimize their income to avoid paying a high child support amount. Our Concord child support lawyers work diligently to determine all the co-parent’s income including wages, business income, investment income, rental income, and any other type of income. We’re skilled at reviewing financial records and when with financial experts when necessary to verify just how much your co-parent is earning.

Please know that the guidelines apply when the income of the families is below $300,000 per year. In higher-income cases, the family law judge has more discretion.

Who is responsible for paying child support in Concord?

The duty to pay support doesn’t depend on whether parents have sole or joint physical custody. Both parents are responsible for their child’s support. Normally, your child will spend most of the time with one parent compared to the other parent. In that scenario, the parent with less custody time will normally pay support to the parent with more custody time. Some exceptions may apply.

What expenses does a child support order pay?

Once a support order is official, one parent pays a set amount on a regular basis, such as every two weeks or every pay day. The parent who receives the support check is not required to keep an account of how the money is spent. However, each parent is required to pay for the child’s essential needs. Children are also entitled to have parents spend for the joys of life based on what the parents can afford.

Child support payments cover your child’s:

Shelter
Food
Clothes
Health insurance
Transportation
After-school activities
Entertainment
Childcare
Social activities
Other expenses

Child support should also pay for any special health, educational, or other expenses if your child has special needs due to a disability. Support orders may also provide for college tuition or additional schools – even though your child is older than 18.

How long does a child support order last?

Child support orders normally last until your child turns 18 or becomes emancipated (such as by marrying at age 17 or joining the military). In North Carolina, parents must also support their child if he/she is still in high school – up to age 20, until the child graduates provided your child is making academic progress. Other schooling exceptions may apply.

Parents can agree in writing to continue support past the age of 18 for a child who is attending college or has a disability. We’ll help prepare a binding child support order when these conditions apply.

You don’t need to go to court to terminate child support when your child turns 18 (unless there’s an agreement to extend support). You must pay any arrears.

Can a child support order be modified in Concord?

Our Concord child support lawyers seek increases or decreases in child support orders depending on who we represent and their circumstances. A modification requires a “significant” change in circumstances.

Some of the reasons a child support order can be modified include:

A parent’s income changes
The health of a parent changes
A parent has an obligation to a new child
A child has special needs due to health issues or educational needs
A parent is deployed
A parent is incarcerated

A modification is also justified if a child support order is more than three years old and the guidelines would alter the amount of the order by 15% or more.

How does child support work when parents aren’t married?

Unmarried parents have the same duty to support their children as parents who divorce. There may be related issues such as paternity but your child has the right to support whether you’re married or not.

Can a parent stop child support payments if their visitation rights aren’t being honored?

Absolutely not. North Carolina separates child support from child custody and visitation. Your child needs a home, food, clothing, healthcare, other essentials, and support to enjoy life – whether you see your children or not. If you have a duty to pay child support, the co-parent can seek enforcement of that order – even if they’re denying you the right to see your child.

If you fail to pay child support, your wages could be garnished, you could be held in contempt which may include imprisonment, and you may suffer other consequences.

Our Concord family law attorneys will help you enforce a child custody and child visitation order in a separate proceeding.

Do you have a Concord child support lawyer near me?

Epperson Law Group is located at 99 Church St NE. We also conduct consultations by video and phone. We’ll answer all your questions and ensure your child is financially protected.

Discuss your child’s support order requirements with our Concord child support lawyers today

Your child’s needs come first. At Epperson Law Group, PLLC, we work to create, modify, and enforce child support orders that provide for your child’s security, growth, happiness, and all their needs. We work to ensure your ex discloses all his/her income. We also represent spouses when a payor is in arrears. Our Concord child support lawyers are skilled at helping children live their lives on a comparable financial level as before a divorce or separation. To schedule a consultation, please call us or fill out our contact form.