Navigating Child Support Issues In Minnesota
Parents may not stay together forever, but the bond between parent and child lasts a lifetime. When a marriage ends in divorce or when unmarried parents separate, both parents remain responsible for the care and support of the children until emancipation. It is often necessary for one parent to provide child support payments to the other.
If you are seeking child support in Minnesota, or it is being sought from you, it is important to have an experienced attorney on your side. At Krueger, Juelich & Schmisek, PLLC, we handle a broad range of family law matters, including those involving child support and other legal issues that affect children. We are trusted advocates for clients throughout the Twin Cities. Call our Minnetonka office now at 866-217-7467 to schedule your consultation.
Child Support In Minnesota
In Minnesota, child support is determined by a set of guidelines that take into account factors such as:
- Each parent’s gross monthly income
- The number of children
- The amount of parenting time awarded to each parent
- Monthly child care and medical costs
Child support issues are not always straightforward and clear-cut. This is especially true when one parent is self-employed, voluntarily underemployed or attempting to hide income. We are skilled at identifying and imputing income to protect our clients and their children. No child support issue is too complex.
In addition to handling initial child support determinations, we represent clients in modifying and enforcing child support orders.
Child Support Modification
There are some situations in which child support payments need to be modified. For one thing, the child’s needs may change significantly. If the initial child support order was written when they were just a toddler, their circumstances and needs are going to shift as they grow up until they turn 18 years of age.
A parent’s situation and circumstances can also change. A divorced parent may get remarried and have other children, meaning that they have the same income but more people to support – so they may need to modify the monthly payments. Additionally, parents sometimes seek to modify child support orders if they lose a job or have a significant reduction in income. This means that the level of support that was ordered at the time of the divorce may no longer be sustainable.
One of the most important things to remember about child support modification is that the official modification of the support order must be carried out first. Until this modification has been obtained, parents must make every effort to continue to pay in line with the original order. They cannot modify these orders themselves or simply refuse to pay on their own.
Child Support Enforcement And Consequences For Not Paying Child Support
If a parent does not pay child support, there can be serious consequences, including being held in contempt of court for ignoring and violating the child support order.
Often, the legal remedies that the court uses involve making that parent aware of the potential consequences. For instance, if someone refuses to pay, they could face criminal charges, fines and even jail time. The court may also be able to take away a passport or a driver’s license. The person may also incur interest on missed payments.
Another tactic the court can use to access the necessary funds is garnishing a person’s wages so that the child support obligations are automatically met through garnishment and the parent no longer has any choice but to make those payments on time.
Two similar tactics are to set up a lien against property that the person owns or to intercept money that the government otherwise would have sent to that person, such as their tax refunds. In this way, the person can be compelled to pay at least a portion of the back child support that they owe.
Contact Our Lawyers About Your Child Support Issues
Whatever child support issue you face, we are prepared to help. Contact us today online or call us at 866-217-7467 to arrange your initial consultation with an experienced child support lawyer.