Midland, Ontario Family Lawyer
Family Law Attorney Serving Midland, Ontario & Southen Georgian Bay
Child Support
What I try to do, in everything that deals with children, is focus people's attention on what's best for the child. The goal of child support is to make sure kids have enough financial support to grow up healthy and happy. But the system isn't perfect. Often, when parents split up, trust between them has broken down. A solution that includes both transparency and accountability can reduce the impact this distrust has on both you and your children.
Questions About Child Support before separation
If you're considering separating from your child's other parent, you may want to know how much child support you'll have to pay, or how much you'll receive, to help raise the kids if you do separate. I'll explain what the law says about child support, and help you understand this aspect of your situation.
Child Support and the Family Responsibility Office
A lot of people come in well after they've separated, because there are issues with child support enforcement.
I cannot stress enough that when it comes to the law there is always a time constraint.
The more time you have, the more options you have.
The Importance of Seeing A Lawyer Early
When you or your child's other parent have agreed to pay child support or you have been ordered to do so, these payments are usually enforced by the Family Responsibility Office (FRO). If you find yourself unable to keep up with the payments, the FRO can take a number of different actions to enforce payment. This may include garnishing your income from your employment and the government, as well as suspending your driver’s license. However, before the FRO can take this action they need to provide you with notice of what they are intending.
I cannot stress enough that when it comes to the law there is always a time constraint. The more time you have the more options you have. It is very important that if you receive anything from the FRO giving you notice of enforcement actions, that you consult with a lawyer as soon as possible.
When the Family Responsbility Office Says You Owe Child Support, but You Disagree
If the Family Responsibility Office says you owe money, your wages may be garnished, or you may even be facing your driver's licence being revoked. Often the problem is a mis-communication. Maybe no one told the enforcement agency what's happened in the years since you separated. Your income has probably fluctuated, and the amount you were ordered to pay before may not be the amount you should be paying now.
I'll review your case and help you communicate with the Family Responsibility Office to get any errors in child support calculations corrected.
When You're Owed Child Support
If you believe your child's other parent should be paying more child support than they are, I'll help you look at the situation under the law to see how the amount you're being paid can be changed. Maybe the other parent, who should be paying child support, is under-reporting their income, or maybe your children are living with you now, but you're being asked to pay child support anyway.
We'll examine your situation and review your options for coming to an agreement with the other parent, or, if necessary, bringing your case to court.
Please contact me for more information about how I can help with your child support case.
