When you’ve reached the point in your divorce where you’re wondering if you should continue to fight for child support, you should keep the steps described below in mind. There’s a chance that child support may not be mandatory anymore and that you can easily get on without him or her.
To start with, remember that there are legal issues involved in every situation that requires you to understand what your NM is going to do. While it may seem difficult to believe, the best way to determine whether child support is going to be awarded or not is to file your own court papers. This way, you’ll have an idea of how to prepare. The first thing you need to do is get your court forms and any applicable records in order, including the names of any child (Ren) that you may want to claim as support.
You also need to make a budget. These are important because you’ll need to be aware of how much money you have in your hands and when you need to apply for child support. It will help you get a better understanding of how long you can continue to get support from the NM.
When you have a good idea of how much you need to pay per month, it’ll be easier to decide what kind of support you should request. You need to know if your NM is willing to accept a certain amount of support, or will you still need to ask for more money when the child reaches a certain age?
Your NMs will also probably want to know if he or she should continue to live in the home after the divorce is final, or if they should move somewhere else while the divorce is pending. If you want to stay in the same place after the divorce is finalized, then it will be necessary to let the court know this in advance.
You may have to pay court costs, too, if the court determines that your children will be in danger if you’re not granted custody. If this is the case, it’ll be good to let the court know about this, too. You need to pay your share of the costs up front, so it’s a good idea to prepare in advance.
You also need to think about how you want your NMs to handle their visitation rights. Do you want him or her to be able to see the children on a regular basis, or do you want them to only be allowed a small amount of time each week?
Once you’ve decided how much support you need, you need to work out a new settlement for how the money will be divided. It’s good to get as much of it as possible for yourself, but it’s important to ask for as much as you can to keep the kids happy.
