Colorado Springs Child Support Lawyers

Helping Parents Navigate Child Support Cases After Divorce

If you’re dealing with a divorce or legal separation, you likely have some concerns about the future, including how this significant life change will affect your financial situation. This is especially worrisome when you have young children to provide for. Fortunately, child support obligations exist in every state so that children don’t have to go without the necessities after their parents get divorced. However, this family law issue isn’t easy to understand or enforce on your own, which is why you’re encouraged to hire a Colorado Springs child support attorney for help with your case.

If you have questions about which parent will pay or collect child support, or if you want to modify an existing child support order, the team at The Lux Law Firm, PLLC is here to provide answers. Our child support lawyers have helped numerous El Paso County parents ensure their children can access the necessary financial resources during and after divorce.

Call our Colorado Springs law office at 719-451-7469 for a free consultation with compassionate family law attorneys.

How Does Colorado Handle the Issue of Child Support?

Parents are expected to share the financial costs of raising their children, even when they’re no longer together as a couple. This is why child support exists as a legal obligation after divorce. Regardless of your child custody arrangements, you’ll be expected to help pay for the costs associated with keeping your children safe, healthy, and cared for.

More specifically, child support payments are meant to help pay for basic and extraordinary costs. Basic costs typically include:

• Housing, such as rent, mortgage, and utilities
• Food, such as groceries and school lunches
• Clothing and shoes

Most child support orders also discuss who will pay for any other basic costs that could apply to the case, such as certain school expenses, daycare expenses, medical insurance, and transportation. Additionally, some child support cases discuss how to handle extraordinary expenses that go beyond the typical costs of raising children. Some examples of these expenses include:

• School trips
• School supplies
• Extracurricular activities, such as clubs and sports
• Private lessons
• Summer camps
• Clothing and equipment for special purposes or occasions
• Medical expenses not covered by insurance

Both parents are expected to pay for these expenses for their children up to the age of 19 in most cases, though this varies depending on the circumstances. For example, if your child is still in high school, child support payments must continue until the month after graduation, even if they’re 19 or 20. In addition, if your child is physically or mentally disabled, the child support payments will likely continue past age 19.

On the other hand, if your child joins the military or gets married before they reach the age of 19, they won’t be covered by child support anymore. In that case, you must file a motion to terminate the child support order and wait for a judge to approve it before your obligations for child support end. If you have questions about this or other child support matters, contact our Colorado law firm today to speak with a knowledgeable child support attorney.

How Is Child Support Calculated in Colorado?

Calculating child support is a complex part of any divorce involving children, but it’s essential to try to understand how it works. This is why you should get legal guidance from experienced child support attorneys who can explain the Colorado child support guidelines and provide an estimate of the amount to expect as your child support case begins.

Factors Considered For Child Support

Family court judges in Colorado Springs consider several factors when calculating child support payments, such as:

• The gross income of both parents, including hourly wages or salaries, rental income, commissions, bonuses, and any other income sources
• The amount of time each parent spends with the children
• The number of children the paying parent must financially support
• The amount of money each parent already spends on the child’s health insurance, daycare, educational costs, and other expenses

While these are the most common factors involved in the child support calculation, some cases deviate from the norm, so only a Colorado Springs child support attorney familiar with your specific case can tell you how much you will owe or collect in child support payments. Just keep in mind that the family court will strive to allow your children to have access to the same level of financial support they had before your divorce. For this reason, this state goes by the income share model, mainly focusing on both parents’ income and the expenses required to raise the children.

If you and your ex-spouse are able to agree on a fair amount of child support outside the courtroom, this is the recommended option. As long as it fits within the Colorado child support guidelines, a judge will likely approve it and help you avoid a trial regarding your child support obligations. However, if you can’t agree on a reasonable amount, a judge will decide for you in court. If you’re concerned about your upcoming child support case, you can get legal guidance from a skilled Colorado Springs child support lawyer by calling our law firm.

Can Child Support Orders Be Modified?

If you pay child support in Colorado Springs and have experienced life changes that make it difficult or impossible to keep paying, you should reach out to a trusted child support attorney immediately for help modifying your payment amount. After all, if you reduce your payments on your own or stop sending them altogether, you could face legal issues, such as having your wages garnished and your passport restricted. To avoid the severe consequences of the child support enforcement process, you should let our legal team help modify child support on your behalf.

Qualifying for a Child Support Reduction

Of course, you’ll need to show why continuing to pay child support according to your current court order isn’t possible. This means proving that your circumstances have substantially changed for an ongoing period of time, requiring a 10 percent or higher reduction in your child support payments. Some reasons that a judge will modify your court order to reduce your payments include:

• Your income has drastically reduced due to job loss or decreased work hours
• The child custody schedule has changed, so your children are under your care more than before
• The expenses of raising the children have been reduced, such as when the child no longer needs daycare or certain medical treatments
• One of the children has reached age 19, joined the military, or gotten married

Note that you and your child support lawyer must prove that these circumstances are long-term, not temporary. So, if you lost your job but found another one within a few months, you likely won’t be approved for child support modification since your income didn’t change for an extended period of time. However, if you haven’t been able to find employment for several months, your petition for child support modification has a better chance of being approved. Your Colorado Springs family law attorney will consider these details before your case begins.

When You May Qualify for a Child Support Increase

Child support modification is also an option that the custodial parent may be interested in. So, if you’re the parent who receives child support and you’re struggling to afford the financial obligations associated with raising your children, you might be entitled to increase the payments you get. You will have to prove that one or more of the following is true:

• The noncustodial parent’s income has drastically increased
• Health insurance or childcare expenses for your children have increased
• The parenting time schedule has changed, and the noncustodial parent spends less time with the children as a result
• One of your children now has exceptional medical or dental needs

Your Colorado Springs child support lawyer can review your circumstances to determine if you qualify to modify the child support order due to ongoing changes in your life. If you have questions about the child support modification process or other child support issues, contact our Colorado law firm today for answers.

How Can Our Colorado Springs Child Support Lawyers Assist You?

Child support matters are known for being difficult to understand, especially when it comes to calculating or modifying payments. That’s why you need a trusted Colorado child support law firm on your side during your case. Whether you’re expecting to be receiving or paying child support, you can count on our lawyers to guide you through your case as you work on the initial court order, ask for modifications, or request help with enforcement.

Schedule a Free Consultation For Assistance

The Lux Law Firm, PLLC is comprised of skilled lawyers with years of experience helping parents ensure they have financial support for their child’s upbringing. You deserve to know you can afford food, housing, clothes, and childcare costs for your children after divorce, and child support is supposed to assist with this. If you’re a custodial parent worried about your child’s future because the other parent isn’t meeting their child support obligation, or if you’re a non-custodial parent struggling to provide financial support after a job loss, we’re here for you.

We’ve successfully handled countless child support cases in El Paso County, so we’re confident we can assist with any child support obligation issues you have.

Contact us at 719-451-7469 today for a free consultation with a caring Colorado Springs child support attorney so you can learn more.