Throughout any divorce or separation, matters involving children are stressful. New Jersey family court wants to ensure that children are taken care of correctly and that their lives are disrupted as little as possible. This means that deciding child support is an important step of the process.
I am Melinda L. Singer, Esquire Having been through a divorce with children myself, I understand that while the children are everyone’s priority, that does not make it easy to determine matters such as support and parenting time. However, I am a Board-Certified family law attorney, giving me a unique ability to help you navigate the process for your family.
How Child Support Is Determined
Child support is determined by the incomes of the parties. The child support in the vast majority of cases uses the New Jersey Child Support Guidelines. If one party has no income, the court can impute income to that party. That is because every parent is obligated to contribute to the child’s support and well-being. Child support also significantly depends on whether the parties use a shared parenting worksheet or sole parenting worksheet. That depends on how many overnights the parent who doesn’t live with the child has overnight time.
However, if a divorce is being handled outside of court, you and your ex-partner, along with your lawyers, will have to outline a child support agreement yourselves. This can be difficult, especially if the divorce is contentious. As an experienced family law attorney, as well as someone who has been through a divorce herself, I know how emotionally fraught the divorce process can become. Yet, this is one reason why it is so helpful to approach this situation with a collaborative mindset.
I am trained in collaborative law and try to use it where appropriate. I have also worked as a mediator, which gives me a singular perspective on the process.
Learn More: Call Today
Each situation is unique. To discuss your case with a lawyer, call my Hackensack office at 201-870-0826, or send me an email through my online form.