Child Support
New York City Child Support Attorney
Parents who are separated or divorced have a responsibility to ensure the continued care of their children. The main way that the courts in New York ensure that parents continue caring for their children after a separation is through child support payments. If you need help with child support in New York City, you can contact Randi L. Karmel, PLLC for help with your case today. We are ready to offer assistance to residents in all five boroughs. Attorney Randi Karmel has extensive experience handling complex matrimonial and child support situations, including properly calculating support payments, handling any necessary modifications, and dealing with unpaid child support issues.
Who has to pay child support in Manhattan?
Under the law in New York, both parents are required to financially support their child until that child turns 21 years of age. If a child under the age of 21 is married, self-supporting, or in the military, then the child will be considered emancipated, and the parents will not have to pay child support.
How is child support calculated in Manhattan?
As an experienced matrimonial attorney in Manhattan, Randi Karmel knows how confusing it can be to properly determine how much child support you will pay. First, we strongly suggest that you work with a skilled attorney to help you through this, regardless of whether or not child support payments are part of the overall divorce process or if you are simply separated from the other parent. Along with helping you better understand the overall process, a strong lawyer can minimize the chances that you will be ordered to pay more in child support than maybe fair given the financial circumstances of both yourself and your ex-spouse.
The Child Support Standards Act in New York was developed to ensure that child support awards in this state are consistent and fair. This law developed a basic support calculator that can be used to help determine how much child support will be owed in your case. Applying the calculator can help you prepare financially before you are officially ordered to begin paying child support.
The presumptive New York child support obligation is calculated by multiplying both parents’ combined incomes by a certain child support percentage, which we have listed here:
- For one child: 17% of the combined parental income
- For two children: 25% of the combined parental income
- For three children: 29% of the combined parental income
- For four children: 31% of the combined parental income
- For five or more children: At least 35% of the combined parental income
For non-custodial parents, their obligation will be based on their pro-rata share of the combined parental incomes listed above. Additionally, a family law judge may order the non-custodial parent to pay a pro-rata share of the child’s education expenses, child care, and medical expenses. These sums are above and beyond the basic child support calculations.
How a New York City Child Support Attorney Can Help You
The ways in which a Manhattan child support law firm may assist you will depend on your specific needs. Again, a child support lawyer can answer your questions and ensure that the amount of child support you may be expected to pay is not excessive. Although New York technically has a standardized method of calculating child support payments, for various reasons, there are occasions when courts make mistakes and order parents to pay more than they should in child support. This may be less likely to happen to a parent if they have a strong attorney on their side.
That’s just one example. Other potential ways a New York City child support lawyer can potentially help you include the following:
Modifying Child Support
In some instances, the amount of money a parent needs to pay in child support has to be adjusted. For example, if a parent loses their job or otherwise faces unexpected financial difficulties, it may be necessary to modify their child support payments accordingly. An attorney can help if you ever need to convince a judge that your child support payments should be modified based on a change in your financial situation.
Handling Unpaid Child Support Issues
Parents, particularly custodial parents, rely on the child support payments they are meant to receive from their exes. When a parent refuses to make child support payments, it can significantly burden the custodial parent who may be most involved in providing for their child’s basic needs.
This is another scenario in which it is wise to enlist the help of a Manhattan child support law firm. Hiring an attorney can make forcing a parent to continue making child support payments much easier than it might otherwise be. An attorney might also be able to help if a parent is being falsely accused of not making child support payments.
Implementation
When a child support order has been issued, it must still be implemented properly. Implementation of a child support order ensures that parents know child support payments will be made properly and on time, reducing a common source of stress for all parties involved. An attorney may be involved in this stage of the process as well.
Call for help with your child support issues in New York City
If you are struggling to figure out child support payment issues, you need to stop and contact a skilled attorney as soon as possible. When you turn to Randi L. Karmel, PLLC, you are getting an advocate who has extensive experience handling all aspects of child support payments in New York City divorce and matrimonial attorney to help with your child support problems, Attorney Randi Karmel will be able to analyze your entire financial and child support situation and help ensure that you are being treated fairly. When you need a Manhattan matrimonial and child support attorney, you can contact us for a review of your case by clicking here or calling us at 212-755-0224 (Manhattan) or 718-923-0877 (Brooklyn). We serve clients in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, and Staten Island.