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Child Support Lawyer

With the issue of child custody invariably comes the issue of child support. Who has to pay, and to whom? How is it calculated. Can the terms of the custody affect the child support and how it’s calculated?

In Louisiana, child support is generally calculated based on the combined average income of the parties. If the parties are salaried employees or earn an easily determined wage, the calculation is often not that difficult.

Things do get complicated, however, when the income is not easily learned. A common example would be someone self-employed. Is their income simply what their tax return says it is? Not necessarily. Other examples would be the potential inclusion of bonuses or fringe benefits or income or benefits from other sources.

  • Then there are issues such as the medical expenses for the children. Is health insurance required? If so, who pays for it? What about non-covered expenses–how are they handled?
  • Do the children go to private school? Does one or both parties want them to attend? Is that cost included?
  • Extracurricular activities? Are they considered?
  • Are the parties always bound by the tables? Must the child support be arbitrarily calculated no matter the impact or effect?
  • How is the child support determined when there are multiple children? How long is it owed? What happens when the child (or a child) reached 18?

We can help you navigate through these questions and find the answers.

D. Reardon Stanford practices in child support law.