Given the high cost of living in Monterey County, it is important to establish the proper amount of child support. If you need a court order to establish or modify child support, or to defend against a child support case, contact Cornwall Family Law Office to discuss your case with a Monterey child support attorney today.
Duty To Support Minors
In California, both parents are responsible for financially supporting their child “in the manner suitable to the child’s circumstances.” Typically, this duty lasts at least until the child turns 18.
Determining the Amount of Child Support
California law provides detailed instructions on how to calculate the appropriate amount of support. This is referred to as “guideline support.” The two biggest factors in calculating child support are the net income of the parties, and the amount of time each parent spends with the child. The third factor is optimizing the financial data input into the calculation software. Our office uses the same software used by the family law judges in Monterey County. This allows us to thoroughly analyze the parties’ financial means and prepare strong legal arguments for fair support orders.
Even though the law sets a guideline amount, parents are free to come to an agreement for child support that is above or below the guideline amount, so long as the child is supported appropriately. We often assist parents with determining the appropriate amount and with preparing the appropriate legal documents for support.
When parents cannot agree on a the amount of support, either parent may file a child support case in court. Child support cases may be filed for the following reasons:
- To establish a first-time court order for support; or
- To increase an existing child support order; or
- To decrease an existing child support order.
We represent parents throughout the Monterey area in the negotiation of child support agreements during divorce proceedings, the modification of prior child support orders, and the establishment of child support in paternity actions.
Our Divorce and Family Law Office in Monterey can handle your case from start to finish and make sure that no detail is overlooked. We believe these issues are simply too important to be handled in any other way.
