Florida: (813) 906-0048 (813) 906-0048
North Carolina: (828) 929-0642
(813) 906-0048
Florida: (813) 906-0048 (813) 906-0048

Questions About Child Support

Tampa FL Custody Lawyer

Tampa FL Custody Lawyer Answers Questions About Child Support

Tampa FL Custody LawyerIf you’re facing a complicated legal issue regarding child support payments, custody, or other matter, you may want to call a child custody attorney in Tampa FL today. An attorney from The McKinney Law Group can review the unique set of circumstances you’re in and provide the answers you need.

Question: Can I receive child support payments?

If you have recently divorced or separated and are the parent of a minor child, you may be wondering if you are eligible to receive child support from the other parent. The following variables are usually considered by the court when they make a determination on child support. For legal advice and further guidance, contact a child custody attorney in Tampa FL from The McKinney Law Group.

Are you the custodial parent?

To be eligible to receive child support payments, you will probably need to be the child’s custodial parent. A custodial parent will likely:

  • Have primary physical custody of the child.
  • Be the primary caretaker (i.e. make sure the child is going to school, well fed, partaking in activities, etc.).

A judge might have designated which parent should be the custodial parent after a dispute arose over child custody.

Are you unsure about whether or not you can receive child support? Call a child custody attorney in Tampa FL from The McKinney Law Group.

Seeking Child Support When You Have Joint Custody

In some situations, both parents will share equal amounts of time with the child. Also known as joint custody, both the mother and father may be deemed as the child’s custodial parents. However, this might not prevent one parent from being ordered to pay some form of child support to the other parent.

This is particularly true when there a large difference in the income of each parent. For example, if the mother and father of a child legally separate or divorce and agree on joint custody, the mother may be able to seek child support payments if she stayed at home while he earned $90,000 a year. The reason for this is that the mother would probably not be able to support the child financially without receiving support from the father. The scenario could be reversed with the mother having to pay child support to the stay at home father.

Child support payments may dictated by the court when both parents work but one makes significantly less than the other. A child custody attorney in Tampa FL from The McKinney Law Group can explain this to you in further detail.

Further Factors to Consider

Just because you are the child’s custodial parent does not necessarily mean you are guaranteed to receive child support payments. A child custody attorney in Tampa FL from The McKinney Law Group might ask you the following in order to determine a likely outcome:

    • Do you have the address or location of where the other parent is current living? If you’re unsure or have no contact details, a lawyer may help you with finding the other parent. Your state’s child support services agency might also be able to help.
    • Has paternity been established? If not, you may need to do this first.
    • Have you already asked the court for a child support order?

 

Talk with a Child Custody Attorney to Learn More

Determining whether or not you can receive child support payments is not always easy. If you would like more information about your eligibility and how we may able to help you, call a Tampa FL custody lawyer now at The McKinney Law Group.