Northern New Jersey Child Support Lawyer

Parents in New Jersey are required to provide financial support for their children until they reach adulthood. The amount of child support that one parent pays the other is determined by a formula in the state’s Child Support Guidelines.

Unlike spousal support, which the court determines using less rigid guidelines, child support is based on a mathematical formula that takes a number of factors into account, including:

  • The combined net income of both parents
  • The number of children
  • The number of overnights that each child spends with each parent
  • The cost of day care
  • Whether one parent pays the cost of health care
  • Whether either parent is paying child support from a previous relationship

We Protect Your Rights

Because the guidelines provide a formula, most parties agree to child support arrangements out of court. Disputes regarding child support are not as common as disputes in other areas of family law such as child custody and parenting time and property division. However, it is important your child support lawyer ensures that the correct information is provided in order to calculate the proper amount of child support payments.

If a dispute does arise, it often involves an accusation that one parent is not disclosing the full amount of his or her income in order to avoid paying the full amount of child support.

At Schepisi & McLaughlin, P.A., in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, we work closely with our clients to ensure that they receive the full amount of child support or that they do not pay more than their fair share of child support if they are required to make payments to the other parent.

If there is a question whether one parent is reporting his or her full income, we will work with forensic accountants and other financial specialists to accurately determine that individual’s annual income.

The court may determine it is necessary to go above the Child Support Guidelines in cases involving parents who are high-income earners in order to maintain the standard of living that was set before the relationship ended, or for a child who has extra health care or education costs.

Contact Schepisi & McLaughlin, P.A.

We invite you to meet with an attorney and get answers to your child support questions during a phone consultation. Call 201-500-8914 or email us to schedule an appointment.

We work with clients throughout Bergen County and all of northern New Jersey.