Child Support
Imputing Income to a Parent in Georgia Child Support Calculations
Many couples who have minor children together and are in the process of separating, whether they are married or not, must address the issue of child support for their children. In most cases, one parent will have custody of the children and the other parent will pay child support. However, even in a joint or…
Read MoreWho is Responsible for Birthing Expenses When Parents Are Not Married?
It is not uncommon for a man to discover many years after a child’s birth that he is the child’s father. Georgia’s child support laws only address a parent’s prospective child support obligation in a situation in which the parents of the child are not married. In other words, the statute does not specifically require…
Read MoreDeviations from Georgia Child Support Guidelines Due to Extraordinary Expenses
The Georgia Statute O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15 provides that a judge or jury can deviate from the amount of child support calculated on the Child Support Worksheet based on different situations. Reasons for a deviation from the Georgia child support law include the following: High or low income Other health-related insurance Life insurance Child and dependent…
Read MoreCan My Driver’s License Be Suspended for Failure to Pay Child Support in Georgia?
Under Georgia law, if you fail to pay child support for a period of 60 days or more, the Georgia Department of Driver Services (DDS) can suspend your driver’s license. Georgia is not alone in taking this drastic step; many other states have license suspension programs linked to child support obligations, as well. In the…
Read MoreMoney Spent on Children During Visitation Does Not Count as Child Support
It is not unusual for a non-custodial parent to spend time engaging in fun activities with his or her child when he or she is having parenting time with the child. A parent and child often will go out to restaurants to eat, see a movie, spend a day at an amusement park, or shop…
Read MoreLife Insurance, Child Support, and Divorce
Life insurance is an important issue to consider in a divorce proceeding, for a variety of reasons. For instance, if you are the spouse who will receive child support or alimony, you will want protection for that support should something happen to the other spouse. Requiring the providing spouse to obtain and maintain a life…
Read MoreCan You Modify Child Support by Agreement?
When a court issues a child support order, it is final. The parties must follow the original order until the court issues a new order to replace the original order. This is the case even if the parties have agreed to change the terms of the original child support order. While a court is likely…
Read MoreWhat Happens if My Ex-Spouse Doesn’t Pay Child Support as Ordered?
There are a number of remedies that may be available to you if the court has ordered your child’s other parent to pay child support, but he or she has failed to pay it as ordered. First, you can file a contempt of court action against the other parent in the court that previously issued…
Read MoreThe Pitfalls of Informally Modifying Court-Ordered Support Payments
The situation is a common one, but not always a positive one. For various reasons the two parties involved come to an informal (i.e. not court-ordered) agreement that their original court ordered child support or alimony payments will cease or be reduced. While their intentions may be good at the time, and their agreement may…
Read MoreChild Support
The law on child support changed dramatically in 2008 with the adoption in the State of Georgia of what is known as an “income shares” child support model. It use to be that you applied a certain percentage to the payor’s gross income and you argued upward or downward from there, based upon the number…
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