Parents in Florida and throughout the country are required to provide financial support for their children. If a couple gets divorced, the noncustodial parent may be required to submit child support payments to the custodial parent. In many cases, custodial parents won’t be allowed to enroll in government assistance programs unless they request child support payments. Those who don’t think that they need financial support now may need additional financial resources in the future to cover medical, dental or educational expenses.
In some cases, it may be necessary to establish paternity before a person is obligated to pay child support. If a person is shown to be a child’s legal parent, it may entitle that individual to greater access to his or her son or daughter. However, this is not necessarily a bad thing as a child will likely benefit emotionally from having both parents in his or her life.
Furthermore, a child may be entitled to be covered under that parent’s health insurance policy. It’s important to note that a person could try to exercise his or her rights to a child even if the parent with custody doesn’t seek child support. Conversely, noncustodial parents may still be prohibited from seeing or contacting their children even if they comply with a child support order.
In many cases, factors such as a parent’s income and assets will determine how much child support to which he or she may be entitled. As a general rule, a child is entitled to live roughly the same lifestyle that he or she would experience if his or her parents hadn’t ended their relationship. A lawyer may be able to review a case and help a person obtain a favorable child support order. Support orders may be modified if circumstances change in the future.
