Experienced Passaic County Child Support Attorney
When a child's parents get divorced or otherwise do not live together, New Jersey courts expect both parents to contribute to the support of that child. Skilled legal counsel can help you ensure that everyone is contributing what is fair.
Howard J. Pfeffer, Attorney at Law, has over 40 years of experience as a divorce and family lawyer. Contact us to schedule an initial consultation about your child support case.
Understanding the Child Support Formula
In New Jersey, as in most states, there are fairly rigid child support guidelines that rely on a formula to calculate the child support obligation of the noncustodial parent.
The main factors taken into account in this formula are the gross incomes of the two parents and the number of children they have. If one parent has another child or children from another relationship, those children and any child support obligations involving them will also be taken into account. Issues of which parent was at fault for bringing about the divorce do not come into play.
One thing that may be the source of a legal dispute, on the other hand, is the income of each parent, especially if one parent is self-employed, has income from multiple sources and/or has irregular income.
Contact Howard J. Pfeffer, Attorney at Law, for help understanding child support and how the guidelines apply in your case.
Additional Calculations for Education and Health
In addition to the regular child support calculation, the court may order child support payments for specific expenditures like day care, health insurance, and other regular educational and health care costs.
If the court orders the parents to divide responsibility for these costs, it will generally calculate each parent's share based on his or her respective income.
