In recent years, more people have chosen not to marry. Instead, many couples decide to live together and have a family outside marriage. With cost-efficiency and convenience as common benefits, cohabitation is a rising trend among partners. Nevertheless, unmarried...
Can wages be garnished for child support?
When someone is ordered to pay child support by a family court, they must adhere to that order. Many people do not want to pay child support, or may even feel like they shouldn’t have to. But as long as there is a binding court order on record, they have to follow it...
Can you count on child support if your teen is college-bound?
For many parents in Massachusetts, there is no better affirmation that they have succeeded in their parental endeavors than their child receiving admission letters to top colleges. For some families, that college education could potentially cost more than all of a...
What can you do if your ex-spouse violates child support orders?
It can be frustrating bearing parental financial responsibilities alone despite the existence of a child support order. In some instances, some parents let their differences come between them and their obligation to support their child financially. However, for the...
When can you ask the Massachusetts courts to lower child support?
Paying child support is one of your most important responsibilities as a parent in Massachusetts. However, the amount of support that you have to pay could sometimes cause you financial stress. The family courts do their best to balance the needs of a parent with the...
How long does child support last in Massachusetts?
If the court orders you to pay child support after a divorce, the goal is to offset the costs that your ex is facing while raising the child. For instance, maybe they have custody 70% of the time and you have it 30% of the time. Your ex may earn less than you and also...
Will you pay child support on your stepchildren after a divorce?
There are thousands of blended families in Massachusetts, and a fraction of them will eventually wind up in divorce court. When you marry someone who already has kids, those children become part of your family. Your attachment to them may have helped you remain...
Childs support modification: If it’s necessary, ask for it
You have always paid child support on time, but you’ve noticed that your hours at work have started to decline. You want to continue to pay what you’ve been ordered to cover, but it’s getting to a point where you’re struggling to have enough to pay your bills and have...
When does child support end in Massachusetts?
It is important for readers of this Springfield family law blog to understand that child support determinations are made based on the specific needs of children. As such, the factual situations of a reader's case will play a huge role in the outcome of their support...
Child support and establishing paternity
Parenthood comes with rights and responsibilities. Parents generally have the right to make to make important decisions about how to raise their children, but they also have responsibilities to provide for their children's needs. These aspects of parenthood are very...
