Maryland Child Support Frequently Asked Questions Montgomery Attorney

How is child support, in Maryland, calculated?

Child support is created to make sure that the child is receiving the same parental income that he or she would have gotten from married parents that are living under the same roof. It is calculated from the monthly gross of each parent, but still taking in consideration the income of both parents. The court considers factors such as the number of children in the family, the fees of health insurance for each minor, the parental schedule of each guardian, fees of childcare and special medical payments.

What if the parent paying child support, deliberately quits his or her job to avoid paying child support?

If one guardian purposely stops working to escape the juvenile maintenance payments, the court will consider the guardian to be “voluntary impoverished” and the court if Maryland will treat the guardian as if he or she is still earning an income and it will be required of the guardian to pay his or her juvenile maintenance payments as usual.

Can a noncustodial parent pay child support if he or she is in jail?

Usually, the imprisoned guardian will request the court to reduce the juvenile maintenance payment or eliminate it entirely until he or she is out of jail. Nevertheless, the guardian can pay juvenile maintenance from assets such as property or income from an outside source.

Can a parent continue to visit his or her child if they have stopped paying child support?

The guardian must keep following the visitation schedule that had been issued by the court, since juvenile maintenance is not connected to visitation.

How long does child support last in the state of Maryland?

A guardian is obligated by the court of Maryland to pay juvenile maintenance until his or her minor passes the age of 18. The guardian must keep paying juvenile maintenance as long as the minor is a full-time school student and resides with the guardian receiving the juvenile maintenance payments. However, a guardian must keep paying juvenile maintenance even after the minor passes the age of 18 for reasons such as if:

• The minor is mentally or physically disabled and that the disability occurred from before the minor passes the age of 18.
• The minor is unable to live independently and isn’t financially stable.

Nevertheless, an agreement can be made between the caretaker and the minor such as the caretaker may pay the minor’s college fees, if of course, the caretaker is financially capable to do so.

What if the parent is unable to afford to pay child support?

If a caretaker is unable to pay the requested amount of juvenile maintenance, the caretaker may request the court of the state of Maryland to either reduce the amount that should be paid or to waive the required fees of juvenile maintenance completely.

Does a parent have to pay child support if the parents have joint custody?

Yes, it is important that both caretaker support their minor’s welfare as well as the minor’s financial stability.
If you need a Maryland Kiddie Support lawyer to help you with your juvenile maintenance case in Maryland, call us at 888-437-7747. Our Maryland Child Support attorneys can help you. C