Barrow County Child Support Attorneys

Dedicated Child Support Lawyers Serving Georgia Families

It costs a lot to raise a child. Both parents have an obligation to financially provide for their children regardless of custody arrangements. Child support is designed to ensure the children of divorced parents have what they need without unduly burdening one parent. 

In an ideal world, both parents would step up and pay their fair share, but if your ex-spouse is refusing to appropriately invest in your child’s future, our Barrow County child support lawyers can help. Our family lawyers at the Mitchell & Crunk Law Firm understands how child support awards are calculated in Georgia and can help you negotiate a fair and reasonable plan. We can also help you hold your spouse accountable if they fail to comply with a court order.

If you are having problems with child support, do not wait to contact us online or call (678) 701-6252. We offer free initial consultations. 

Who Pays Child Support in Georgia?

In principle, both parents must financially support their children. The court assumes the custodial parent will use a portion of their own financial resources to directly pay for their child’s day-to-day and long-term needs. 

• The noncustodial parent will be responsible for making child support payments to the custodial parent.
• The custodial parent does not need to make any direct payments to anyone, because they are presumably spending some of their own income to support the child. 

In situations where parents share physical custody, the custodial parent is generally the one who spends more time with the child. When parenting time is truly equal, the parent with the higher income will in most cases be responsible for making child support payments.

Only the parents listed on a child’s birth certificate can be required to pay child support. If your child was born out of wedlock, we can help you pursue a paternity action that clarifies parentage and allows you to seek the financial support you need from the child’s father. Contrary to popular belief, it is possible for mothers to pay child support. Mothers who pay child support typically do so if the father is the primary custodian and the court decides so.  

How Child Support Is Calculated in Georgia

Georgia uses a complex series of formulas to determine fathers and mothers base child support obligation. Attempting to make sense of these systems on your own can be difficult and confusing. Though the state provides some basic worksheets and resources, these calculators do not account for the nuances in each individual case and therefore can produce inaccurate or misleading results.

• Each parent’s gross monthly income – including wages, benefits, and investment income – will help determine their child support obligation. 
  • In general, the greater a parent’s share of the couple’s combined gross income, the more they will be expected to contribute. We can help you correctly calculate each parent’s base child support obligation based on these numbers and tables provided by the state of Georgia. 
• Work-related childcare expenses and the costs of the child’s health insurance can be directly added to the base child support obligation. 
  • In most cases, these costs will be proportionally split between the couple. In other words, if one parent is responsible for 60% of the couple’s combined gross income, they will need to cover 60% of any added health insurance costs and childcare expenses.
• Georgia courts can also choose to deviate from the base child support obligation amount at their discretion. 
  • Deviations are common in scenarios where a divorcing couple’s combined gross income is especially high or where the noncustodial parent does not get to spend much time with their child. 

Our Barrow County child support attorneys can help you seek any deviations that you need to protect your ability to sufficiently care for your child or children. Give us a call or contact us online today!