In regard to child support issues, most of the attention is directed to deadbeat parents who don’t pay their fair share. They don’t pay on time and they may miss numerous payments, leaving the custodial parent to deal with a lack of funds that could be used for better housing, school activities, more clothing and more nutritious food. The issue that is typically ignored is one in which the noncustodial parent has been ordered to make payments far above the state guidelines, leaving this person in troublesome financial straits. A child support lawyer in Winnebago County IL can help someone who is dealing with this situation.
How does this happen? A family judge has the ability to set payments higher than standard guidelines recommend, and may do so if he or she believes the parent should be earning more money. This discretion in judgment is primarily intended to deter noncustodial parents from taking actions to avoid paying support, such as quitting a job or intentionally getting fired. If they do so and their income is eliminated or drastically reduced, a judge can still order them to pay according to the amount they were making previously.
This situation is extremely problematic for someone who has been laid off from a job and now has a position that pays substantially less. An even more troublesome quirk of the legal system affects some noncustodial parents who made a significantly higher income for a very brief period of time, but are now ordered to pay support according to that previous income standard. For example, a heavy equipment operator who works on various contract jobs may have the opportunity to spend a month working on a lucrative state or federal contract. If the custodial parent or the court asks for a re-evaluation of the support payment structure after this, a judge may order payments based on that high income. A Child Support Lawyer in Winnebago County IL knows how to approach the court with effective strategies that convince judges to lower support payments that have been set unreasonably high. Visit A Law Office of Crosby & Associates for assistance.
