Hackensack Child Support Lawyer
Need help with child support in Hackensack, NJ? Call Arons & Solomon Divorce Lawyers at (201) 487-1199 for a free consultation. Our Hackensack child support lawyers can explain your options, help you seek a fair order, and fight for the support your child needs.
We have a team of award-winning New Jersey family law attorneys with over 150 years of collective experience and an undeniable ability to win high-stakes cases for our clients. Don’t leave anything to chance when your child’s well-being and financial stability are on the line. Demand the best results by partnering with our top-rated child support attorneys.
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Why Choose Arons & Solomon Divorce Lawyers for Help With Your Child Support Case in Hackensack, NJ?
For over three decades, mothers, fathers, and families in Northern New Jersey have turned to Arons & Solomon Divorce Lawyers for help with emotional, challenging, complicated family law disputes. Our Hackensack divorce attorneys are known as experienced and passionate legal advocates who go the extra mile to achieve the best possible outcomes for our clients.
Our commitment to excellence in client service and our ability to consistently deliver positive solutions for difficult situations are why we’re recognized as leaders in divorce and family law in New Jersey.
Members of our respected legal team are recognized as:
- New Jersey Family Law Inn of Court Masters
- Bergen County’s Top Lawyers by (201) Magazine
- AV Preeminent-rated litigators by Martindale-Hubbell
- Bar Register of Preeminent Women Lawyers
- Panel Chairs for the Bergen County Early Settlement Panel
We appreciate how much is at stake in your child support case and know how important it is to find a swift and favorable resolution. Your child’s well-being depends on it.
Contact our compassionate and trustworthy Hackensack child support attorneys today.
Understanding New Jersey Child Support Laws
Child support is required in New Jersey. Both parents have a legal duty to support their child, even if they are no longer together. This responsibility applies whether parents are married, divorced, or were never married.
New Jersey law is based on the idea that children should benefit from both parents’ income and should not suffer financially because of a breakup. The right to child support belongs to the child, not the parents.
Child support orders apply in both sole custody and shared custody cases. One parent is considered the custodial parent because the child spends more time with them. The other is the non-custodial parent and usually pays child support to help cover the child’s everyday needs.
What Can Child Support Payments Be Used For?
Child support benefits are intended to cover a child’s expenses related to:
- Housing
- Food
- Education
- Medical expenses
- Healthcare
- Insurance
- Extracurricular activities, such as youth sports, music lessons, or art classes
- Childcare
- Transportation
- Clothing
- Hobbies and entertainment
In New Jersey, child support is typically paid until a child turns 19. However, there can be situations where child support obligations can be extended until a child turns 23, especially if they go to college or suffer from a qualifying disability. Parents can also mutually agree to extend child support payments beyond a child’s 23rd birthday, but these agreements must be formally documented to be enforceable.
There may also be times when child support obligations terminate before a child’s 19th birthday. Typically, this happens if the child gets married, becomes emancipated, or enlists in the military.
How is Child Support Calculated in New Jersey?
New Jersey uses a fixed formula to calculate child support benefits. There are slight variations depending on whether it’s a shared-custody or sole-custody situation. There’s a calculator tool on the state’s website that can help determine roughly how much child support your child might be able to receive if you get divorced or seek payments from your child’s non-custodial parent.
What Factors Are Considered in Determining Child Support?
There are three primary factors that are considered when calculating child support in New Jersey:
- The combined gross income of both parents
- The number of children entitled to financial support
- Each parent’s timeshare of custody
This might seem straightforward, but it can be very complicated – especially when one parent tries to hide or conceal their true income to reduce their potential child support obligation.
What Kinds of Income Are Considered for Child Support?
In New Jersey, several sources of income are considered when calculating a person’s gross income.
These include:
- W2 wages
- Self-employment income
- Tip income
- Commissions
- Bonuses
- Royalties
- Annuities
- Profit-sharing plans
- Spousal support
- Retirement income
- Disability income
- Personal injury settlements or jury awards
Our child support attorneys in Hackensack, NJ, work closely with highly experienced forensic accountants and financial specialists who can help ensure that the full scope of a payor parent’s gross income is clear when calculating support requirements.
How Courts Determine Net Income
After the court reviews each parent’s gross income, it subtracts certain required expenses. This helps the court figure out how much money is actually available to support the child.
Common deductions may include:
- Income taxes
- Mandatory union dues
- Existing child support obligations
- Required retirement or insurance contributions
The remaining amount is called net income. This number is used to measure each parent’s ability to help meet the child’s needs.
How Income Differences Affect Child Support
Parents often earn different amounts of money, so child support is not usually split evenly. The court compares each parent’s income and adjusts support amounts to be fair. A parent who earns more may be required to pay a larger share of the child’s expenses.
When Courts Use Imputed Income
If a parent is not working or is intentionally earning less to avoid child support, the court can step in. In these situations, the court may assign imputed income. This means the court bases support on what the parent could be earning based on their skills, job history, and ability to work.
How Parenting Time Impacts Support Amounts
Once income is established, the court considers how many children are covered and how much time each parent spends with them. In general, when a non-custodial parent spends more time with the child, their child support payment may be lower. However, a large income disparity between the parents can still result in a higher support obligation.
Can Child Support Be Modified?
Yes, child support can be modified. In fact, there are times when it’s important to revisit child support obligations, especially when one parent’s income increases or decreases, or when there’s a significant change in a child’s need for support.
Since child support orders are legally binding, any modifications must go through the courts. Either the payor (parent paying child support benefits) or the payee (parent receiving child support payments) can file a request to modify an order with their local Bergen County family court.
How Can a Child Support Attorney in Hackensack Help Me?
Hiring an experienced child support lawyer in Hackensack, New Jersey, can give you the tools, resources, and winning strategies needed to get the financial support your children need to thrive.
When you choose Arons & Solomon Divorce Lawyers, we’ll be able to help you:
- Conduct a full and thorough accounting so that child support calculations are fair and accurate
- File a petition to modify an existing child support order to either increase or decrease payments if there’s a substantial change in your ability to pay or child’s needs
- Get the courts involved to enforce an existing child support order when payments are in arrears (past due)
- Navigate paternity issues that can affect child support obligations
Child support can be an isolated family law issue, but it’s often intertwined with other matters– including child custody, alimony, and property division, especially when it’s part of a divorce proceeding.
Our Hackensack divorce attorneys bring the kind of hands-on experience, depth of knowledge of New Jersey family law and procedure, and savvy legal strategies that you’ll want when you’re dealing with these complex, high-stakes issues. We limit our case load so that each client gets the focused, detailed, personalized representation they deserve when their lives are in chaos.
Contact Our Hackensack Child Support Lawyers Today to Schedule a Confidential Consultation
Child support is too important to leave things up to chance. When your child’s safety and well-being depend on it, it’s important to bring in a team of legal advocates who will fight for their best interests at every turn. It’s why you should call Arons & Solomon Divorce Lawyers for help with your child support case today.
Our Hackensack child support lawyers have 150+ years of combined experience and a proven track record of success. We’re here to provide the legal guidance and support you need to win your child support case and achieve the best outcome for your children.
Don’t hesitate to contact our Hackensack law office to discuss your family law case today. We’re always available to help you schedule your confidential case review.
