12Law Arrow 12Law Arrow  Easy Questions  
12Law Arrow 12Law Arrow Instant Legal Documents
 
 
FINANCIAL & MARITAL

Cohabitation Agreement coming soon!
Separation Agreement coming soon!
No-Fault Divorce coming soon!
Bankruptcy coming soon!
 
 

Do I Need a Lawyer to File for Child Support in Blanchard, PA

Do I Need a Lawyer to File for Child Support in Blanchard, PA


You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.
 
- Maya Angelou


In many scenarios it is not required to have a lawyer to file for child support. You can file for child support yourself by filing the appropriate forms at your local Probate and Family Court.

You can also get orders for: 1) protection from abuse; 2) establishing paternity; 3) custody and visitation; 4) divorce; and 5) modification of an existing child support order if circumstances have changed. After you file your complaint, you may need to get it served by a sheriff or a constable. While there may be filing fees involved, you may be able to get them waived if your income is low or if you are on public assistance.

Many judges are patient and understanding with plaintiffs who do not have a lawyer. Child support is usually a standard calculation based on expenses and income and the court can help in enforcing the support collection.The federal Family Support Act of 1988 required every state to establish numerical child support guidelines. The guidelines are designed to overcome three of the persistent problems in the award of child support: 1) insufficient levels of support; 2) inconsistency of criteria used by judges; and 3) inefficiency in the adjudication of child support. They also serve to make the process more straightforward for custodial parents seeking child support without a lawyer.

The state guidelines are designed to balance the child's needs and the non-custodial parents' ability to pay. In most states, the basic child support obligation is calculated by combining the incomes of the parents and multiplying that figure by the percentages set forth in the guidelines. These percentages vary according to the number of children. This number, the total child support obligation due, is then assigned to the parents according to the proportion of their individual contributions to the parents' total income. The guidelines may be modified to award additional support for 1) child-care expenses; 2) maintenance of health and life insurance, or reimbursement of health-care expenses; 3) private school and college tuition; and 4) child-care expenses for parents seeking work.

Courts have the discretion to deviate from the guidelines for unique circumstances such as: 1) educational needs of either parent; 2) the needs of other children supported by the noncustodial parent; 3) extraordinary expenses required for the noncustodial parent to visit their children. In most cases, child support is awarded based on wages of the noncustodial parent reported on income tax returns.

Support is based on parenthood not marriage and may be awarded during or after a marriage, in a divorce proceeding, or in a separate support proceeding whether or not the parties have ever been married. The proceeding is usually relatively simple, because the issues are generally limited to the application of guidelines percentages to the income of the parents. In most states, the court will order that the child support be deducted from the noncustodial parent's wages by their employer and transmitted automatically to the custodial parent.

If the noncustodial parent falls behind on child support payments, there are many enforcement vehicles available in most states. These include income garnishing (deducting money from the noncustodial parent's wages), making a negative report to credit reporting agencies, collecting past-due child support from lottery prizes, intercepting tax refunds, seizing property (e.g. real estate and bank accounts), etc.

Many states have a parent locator service. If the noncustodial parent lives in a different state, the Uniform Reciprocal Enforcement of Support Act ("URESA") or a comparable statuteprovides for interstate collection of child support.

Transfers of assets to avoid payment of child support can often be set aside by a court. Furthermore, if the court determines that a parent transferred away resources to avoid child support obligations, that could form the basis for a finding of willful violation of a court order and result in a jail sentence.

Contact your local child support enforcement agency for more information.

If you are the noncustodial parent who is faced with child support that is more than you can pay, it may be possible to get the support order lowered to a more manageable level, especially if circumstances have changed.

Only you can decide if hiring a lawyer is right for you. Check out 12Law.com for listings of lawyers in your neighborhood.
 
Personalize & Print a Free PA Last Will Create This Document
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Page 9
Page 10
 
Personalize & Print a Free PA Living Will Create This Document
Page 1
Page 2
Page 3
Page 4
Page 5
Page 6
Page 7
Page 8
Related Legal Services near Blanchard, PA
Stein Gary L
347 Bridge St
Collegeville, PA 19426
(610) 917-9347
Attorneys, Legal Service Plans
Gultanoff Barry
373 E Main St
Collegeville, PA 19426
(610) 489-9220
Attorneys,  Family Law Attorneys,  Accident & Property Damage Attorneys,  General Practice Attorneys
Advice About Malpractice Attys
373 E Main St
Collegeville, PA 19426
(610) 489-9220
General Practice Attorneys, Attorneys
A Accident Attorneys
373 E Main St
Collegeville, PA 19426
(610) 489-9220
Family Law Attorneys, General Practice Attorneys, Attorneys
Robert L Brant & Assoc
572 W Main St
Trappe, PA 19426
(610) 489-9199
Estate Planning Attorneys, Attorneys, Business Law Attorneys, Real Estate Attorneys, Legal Service P
Boland Jr Lawrence
238 Main St
Imperial, PA 15126
(724) 695-8620
Attorneys, General Practice Attorneys, Legal Service Plans
Bash Law Offices PC
2 W Pittsburgh St
Delmont, PA 15626
(724) 468-8600
General Practice Attorneys, Attorneys
Buskirk Jeffrey
1647 Bellaire Pl
Pittsburgh, PA 15226
(412) 884-8428
Divorce Attorneys
King Laird P.C.
360 West Main st
Arcola, PA 19426
(484) 533-7680
Bankruptcy Law Attorneys, Child Custody Attorneys, Divorce Attorneys
Merrow & Jacoby, P.C.
19 S 3rd St
Hamburg, PA 19526
(610) 562-7600
Family Law Attorneys, Attorneys, Criminal Law Attorneys, General Practice Attorneys, Legal Service P
Wolfe Frank Allan
930 5th Ave
Ford City, PA 16226
(724) 763-7125
Attorneys,  Social Security & Disability Law Attorneys,  DUI & DWI Attorneys,  Real Estate Attorneys
Theresa Ann Hartzell, PC
2225 State Rd
Drexel Hill, PA 19026
(484) 452-6619
Family Law Attorneys, Attorneys, General Practice Attorneys
McKay & Associates, P.C.
801 Mcneilly Rd
Pittsburgh, PA 15226
(412) 344-6110
Bankruptcy Law Attorneys, Patent, Trademark & Copyright Law Attorneys, Attorneys
Warren & Vullings LLP
3953 Ridge Pike
Collegeville, PA 19426
(610) 489-6060
Consumer Law Attorneys, Attorneys
Ober Paul R & Associates
607 S 4th St
Hamburg, PA 19526
(610) 562-5879
Environment & Natural Resources Law Attorneys, Attorneys
Leah N. Westerman
5 Evansburg Road
Trappe, PA 19426
(610) 389-4952
Divorce Attorneys, Family Law Attorneys, General Practice Attorneys, Attorneys
Quinn Michael & Joann
501 Bloomfield Ave
Drexel Hill, PA 19026
(610) 284-4679
Attorneys, Legal Service Plans
Stapleton Jr Thomas J
5030 State Rd Ste 2-600
Drexel Hill, PA 19026
(484) 423-4192
General Practice Attorneys,  Attorneys,  Legal Service Plans,  Personal Injury Law Attorneys,  Crimi
Stapleton & Colden
5030 State Rd
Drexel Hill, PA 19026
(484) 423-4192
General Practice Attorneys,  Attorneys,  Legal Service Plans,  Personal Injury Law Attorneys,  Crimi
Shollenberger Allen R Esquire
136 State St
Hamburg, PA 19526
(610) 562-4145
Attorneys, Legal Service Plans
Winter & Sutten Attorneys
1758 Route 30
Clinton, PA 15026
(724) 899-4100
General Practice Attorneys, Attorneys
Barley Snyder
239 State St
Hamburg, PA 19526
(610) 562-3721
Real Estate Attorneys, Attorneys
Nahrgang & Associates, P.C.
35 Evansburg Rd Ste 3
Collegeville, PA 19426
(610) 489-3041
Corporation & Partnership Law Attorneys, Attorneys, Family Law Attorneys
Rightmyer Katherine
400 S 4th St # B
Hamburg, PA 19526
(610) 562-2191
Attorneys, Social Security & Disability Law Attorneys, Corporation & Partnership Law Attorneys, Lega
12Law.com   |  NASHVILLE, TN USA   |  CONTACT US