If you are the custodial parent, the New Jersey family court will likely order your former spouse (i.e., the noncustodial parent) to make monthly child support payments. When fighting for a certain amount of support, you must account for all expenses related to bringing up your child; now and up until they become a legal adult at the age of 18. Read on to discover what expenses are included in a family court’s order and how a seasoned Morristown child support lawyer at Graves Andrews, LLC can help you receive a fair and just amount.
What expenses are considered in a child support order?
Having your child live with you full-time, or for the majority of the time, comes with many significant expenses. The New Jersey family court acknowledges this, and therefore considers the following costs when crafting a child support order:
- The cost of transporting and traveling with your child: monthly car loan payments, monthly car insurance payments, gas bills, travel expenses related to holiday parenting time, etc.
- The cost of housing your child: monthly mortgage payments, monthly utility bills, yearly property taxes, household furniture and appliances, etc.
- The cost of entertainment and extracurriculars for your child: sports equipment, sports lessons, recreational events, mobile devices, toys, etc.
- The cost of clothing for your child: diapers, school uniforms, sports uniforms, laundry and dry cleaning bills, etc.
- The cost of feeding your child: food purchased for home consumption, food purchased away from home, etc.
- The cost of medical needs for your child: health insurance, unreimbursed healthcare expenses, etc.
- The cost of educating your child: work-related childcare, private education, college education, etc.
What other financial considerations are made?
Before finalizing a child support order, the New Jersey family court may evaluate the standard of living that you and your former spouse established for your child when you were still married. This is because, in the court’s eyes, your child’s life should not be negatively affected by your and your former spouse’s decision to part ways. For example, your child should not have to transfer out of private school into public school in the aftermath of your divorce. Therefore, the court’s job is to determine an amount of child support that will keep your child’s lifestyle as similar as possible.
In addition, the court may consider the earning capacities of both you and your former spouse. This may go beyond your yearly salary and also include your overtime, part-time, and severance earnings; your bonuses and royalties; your unreported cash payments; and more.Thesee factors may have already been considered for the alimony order in effect; thereby making alimony another consideration in the amount of child support ordered.
Your fight for child support requires a competent Morristown family law attorney in your corner. So please get in touch with us at Graves Andrews, LLC.
