Child Support in Alabama
What Is Child Support?
Child support is a financial obligation that a parent has to pay to support her or his child. This continues as they age and mature. Are you the parent who has custody of your son or daughter currently? If so, then the court will assume that the child receives full financial support while residing in your residence.
However, if your child does not live in your house and she or he is not currently under your custody, the court may require you to pay child support to the custodial parent. The Alabama Central Disbursement Division currently has the responsibility to handle the disbursement of payments. They can distribute payments by direct deposit, check, or debit card. The ACDD also can withdraw the amount owed directly from paychecks and payout on the same day.
In Alabama, this means that you have to make payments to the custodial parent until your child reaches adulthood. There are other situations where you may only have to make payments until the courts have legally declared your child as emancipated or your daughter or son goes into military active duty. Keep in mind that if your child has special needs, there may be a requirement that you have to make child support payments past the legal age of adulthood.
Terminating Rights
Do you wonder if you can terminate your parental rights and not pay child support? Most states will not allow a parent to do this and cease support unless certain requirements are met. There may be some situations where a court terminates financial responsibilities if both parents agree that one party no longer has to provide financial support to their shared son or daughter. One situation where a parent may be able to terminate her or his responsibility to child support is if someone else, like a stepparent, adopts the child.
Alabama law provides a list of circumstances that can justify terminating parental rights. The court can consider general incompetence and the following types of factors:
- An inability to discharge responsibilities as a parent
- Abandonment of the child
- Mental illness or substance abuse
- Conviction and incarceration for a felony
- Unexplained physical injury to children
Do you believe that the other parent has violated your rights to receive child support? Then get immediate legal help from an experienced Alabama lawyer on standby in your area who can help you fight for your child’s right to financial stability.
Get in contact with us today to get in touch with an experienced legal advocate in your area.
How an Alabama Child Support Attorney Can Help You
If you constantly struggle to get the other parent to pay, hiring a lawyer can help you learn about your available options and guide you on the best decision for your son or daughter.
Many people struggle with parents who refuse to pay. Hiring an experienced and dedicated lawyer will bring you professional help while navigating the legal system. Additionally, you may also have an easier time getting the money your child needs and deserves to better ensure a stable childhood.
The Child Support Enforcement Program works with state and federal officials to manage all aspects of the program. Officials from the Department of Human Resources establish paternity, obtain orders, and ensure compliance. According to the division’s website, non-payment is a significant contributor to child poverty across the country. Its mission is to help Alabama families achieve self-sufficiency and decrease the number of unpaid accounts.
Whether you are seeking child support as part of a divorce settlement or as an unmarried parent, working with an experienced child support attorney in can simplify the process. Legal guidance helps ensure you secure the financial support your children need while protecting you from the financial and emotional strain of navigating the system alone.
Working with an attorney can help you to:
- Establish paternity
- Answer a child support petition
- File a petition for support
- Request a child support order
- Explain the tax consequences that come with a child support order
- Work with the other parent to reach an agreement
- Represent you in court
- Locate the other parent
- Subpoena the other parent’s financial information
- Prove income
- Determine any factors that a court will look at to calculate how much is owed
- Educate you on the available child support enforcement options
- Give you an estimate of how much financial support you may receive from the other parent
Do you believe that you deserve to receive payment from the other parent or that you are not receiving a sufficient amount? If you have to answer, yes, then make every effort to avoid missing what your kid deserves. Work with a dedicated Alabama lawyer who fights for your rights as well as your child’s rights.
Information to Share With Your Lawyer
As you work with your lawyer, make sure you share proper documentation to better ensure that you can properly proceed with your case in Alabama. The information that you need to share with your attorney includes:
- Check stubs for the last two years or more if applicable
- Outstanding debts
- A change in debt, such as filing for bankruptcy
- Paternity records
- Adoption records
- Previous child support payment records
- Bonds, stocks or any retirement account records
- Tax return records
- Purchase of sale records for a home, land, or any other type of assets
- Any child support forms that you have
To estimate these payments, the Alabama Administrative Office of Courts considers the combined adjusted gross income. The more income and children that you have, the higher your installments can go. Courts can also look at the contributions that each party makes toward the total in proportion. For example, if you bring in 60% of the family revenue, that can become how much you pay toward child support.
Work with an Experienced Local Lawyer in Alabama
Are you facing a costly and emotional child support battle? Talk to an attorney equipped to help you in this delicate situation. Call now or fill out the simple form below to take steps to protect your children’s interests. Learn more about your child support law options below.
One of our expert Alabama attorneys will help to navigate you through the legal system to get you the money you and your kid should have. We can even help you connect with an attorney across Alabama state lines.
Submit a request online or call us today at (866) 345-6784 to get in touch with an experienced lawyer in your area!
About the Author
Aaron is a professional legal writer with a B.S. in English Education from Southern Illinois University – Carbondale. He has written, published, and edited thousands of legal articles for RequestLegalHelp, which has connected over 5 million people to legal help in the United States.
With over five years of experience writing thousands of legal articles for law firms across the U.S. and Canada, Aaron specializes in covering federal, state, and city-level legal issues ranging from auto accidents to wrongful terminations.
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