Handling Child Support Issues with Your Divorce Attorney in Broward County

The ordeal of divorce is traumatic and complex for any family. It is a time of extreme emotional turmoil and confusion for all parties. At the same time, successfully completing the divorce process requires a keen eye for every detail that will affect each party’s future life. Your divorce attorney in Broward County is responsible for attending to these details and none are more vital than the ones involving child support for minor children. The issue of child support is ongoing even after the divorce has been finalized. Your divorce lawyer in Broward County will probably continue to serve as your child support attorney in Broward County as well. Child Support Basics During the planning or proceedings, custody of minor children of the family will be determined with the assistance divorce lawyer in Broward County. The parent with whom the children live is called the "custodial parent" while the other parent is referred to as the "non-custodial parent". The non-custodial parent is usually obligated to pay a predetermined amount to the custodial parent to share in the monthly expenses of raising the child or children. In addition to minor children, child support is required to provide for children of the marriage who have reached or exceeded the age of 18 but are full-time students. A "Child Support Order" is issued by the presiding official, usually a judge, in accordance with the Florida Child Support Guidelines. These guidelines are laws which have been established by the Florida legislature and govern all child support orders in the state. These guidelines are complete with a table for calculating the amount of child support to be paid by the non-custodial parent in relation to his or her total net income and the number of children being supported. Although these are guidelines, the presiding official has very little room for variance, only 5% in fact, which is one of the reasons a competent child support attorney in Broward County is essential for a successful outcome. Information to Give the Divorce Attorney in Broward County The formula used to determine the amount of child support to be ordered does not take the living expenses of either parent into consideration but it does use the computation of the net income of each parent. Although your divorce lawyer in Broward County may already have most of the information collected to file for the Child Support Order if you are using the same representation, changing to a different child support attorney in Broward County may require collecting new documentation. Here are some of the items you will need to give to your divorce attorney in Broward County: Income Documentation Obtain the most recent documents possible and be prepared to turn in new ones as they are received to your divorce attorney in Broward County. *Paystubs *Bank Statements *Profit and Loss Statements from an accountant for self-employed parents *Benefits Statements for Social Security or pension income Tax Filing Information *W-2s, 1099s, and w-9s *Most recent 2 - 3 years tax returns Medical Insurance Information Present all medical insurance information to your divorce lawyer in Broward County. Include not only premium amounts but also the types of coverage that are extended to the minor children.