Spokane Child Support

Divorcing parents must address the issue of child support. In Washington, the non-custodial parent is often required to make child support payments to the custodial parent. This ensures that both parents fulfill their legal obligation of supporting their children even after they are no longer married.

Regardless of whether you are the non-custodial or custodial parent, it’s important to seek legal representation from a child support attorney who is committed to protecting your best interests. The attorneys at Pacific Northwest Family Law will defend your rights and aggressively pursue a favorable child support agreement. Call 360-926-9112 today to schedule a consultation with a child support lawyer on our team.

There are specific guidelines that are used to calculate child support payments in Spokane. The court must know each parent’s income in order to calculate payments using these guidelines.

Determining income is simple in cases where each parent only has one source of income, however it is more complex in cases where the parents have multiple sources of income or are self-employed. Our attorneys will protect your child’s best interests by ensuring that the other party is submitting accurate income information.

After calculating the parents’ combined income, the court will consult Washington’s Child Support Economic Table. This table lists the monthly basic child support obligation for different income levels.

The law states that the non-custodial parent should pay a percentage of support that is proportional to their income. For example, the court may find that the non-custodial parent earns 60% of the parents’ combined monthly income. In this case, the court may order the non-custodial parent to pay 60% of the basic child support obligation found on the Child Support Economic Table.

The guidelines calculate child support based on the parents’ combined monthly income, but the court may find it appropriate to consider other factors. In this case, the judge has the authority to deviate from the guidelines when calculating child support.

The judge may consider a number of factors when deviating from the guidelines, including:

• The child’s special needs
• The custody arrangement
• Each parent’s obligation to pay child support for other children
• Each parent’s debt
• Whether or not one parent earns significantly more than the other

After considering these factors, the judge may deviate from the guidelines by adjusting the recommended child support payments up or down.

It is difficult to estimate how much child support payments will be since the court has the authority to deviate from the state’s guidelines. The attorneys at Pacific Northwest Family Law will push for a favorable agreement by ensuring the judge understands your unique situation and child’s needs when calculating child support. Let us protect your best interests and your rights as a parent.

Don’t face a contentious child support dispute alone–turn to the experienced attorneys at Pacific Northwest Family Law for help. Our family law attorneys have extensive experience representing both custodial and non-custodial parents in child support disputes. Our main priority is fighting for a child support agreement that is in your best interests. To schedule a consultation with one of our family lawyers, call 360-926-9112 or book your appointment online.