Child Support Obligations in the Merrimack Valley
Any divorce case involving minor children will require determination of child support payments based on state guidelines. If you have questions about the amount of your child support payment, whether you're making it or receiving it, contact an experienced lawyer at Eno, Martin & Donahue in Lowell. We advise and represent clients with child support issues in both divorce and paternity cases.
In Massachusetts, child support obligations are based on both parents' incomes and the number of children involved. The child support guidelines are fairly mechanical and easy to apply in cases involving parents who earn regular wages through employment.
Difficult questions can arise, however, in cases where either parent is self-employed, seasonally employed, or depends on commission earnings that can vary significantly from month to month or quarter to quarter. We work with you to make sure that your child support payments are based on accurate income figures. Any lack of detailed income data is very likely to be held against a self-employed noncustodial father.
We advise both mothers and fathers in child support and paternity cases
In New Hampshire, the state child support guidelines only consider the income of the parent who does not have primary custody of the child. Both states allow child support obligations to be modified on the basis of substantial changes in material circumstances, such as medical problems of either the parent or the child, unemployment through no fault of the paying parent, or significant alterations in the custody arrangements between the parents.
Child support works the same way in paternity cases as it does in divorce. Once the father of the child is identified with certainty, child support obligations are determined under the state guidelines, and subject to modification and enforcement as circumstances may require. Child custody and visitation issues are often worked out in the same proceeding that determines paternity.
For more specific advice about your child support or paternity problem in Massachusetts or New Hampshire, contact a family law attorney at Eno, Martin & Donahue in Lowell.
