Make Child Support Work for Your Children
Child support is one of the most important legal issues a parent in Washington State will ever face, and it is also one of the most misunderstood. Whether you expect to receive support or fear you may be ordered to pay more than you can afford, you are dealing with rules that are technical, unfamiliar, and often applied without a complete picture of your situation. Many parents come to us already frustrated. They feel unheard. They feel pressured. They feel like numbers on a worksheet matter more than real life.
At Pacific Northwest Family Law, we believe child support should reflect the truth about your finances, your parenting responsibilities, and your child’s actual needs. This page is a personal invitation to learn how child support truly works in Washington, why it so often goes wrong, and how the guidance of an experienced attorney protects both you and your child.
A Personal Message to Parents Who Feel Overwhelmed
If you are reading this, it is likely because something in your life has become uncertain. You may be struggling to figure out what the law expects of you. You may be worried that the other parent is hiding income. You may fear that DCS is pushing forward without giving you a fair chance to explain your circumstances. You may be a parent doing everything right, yet facing late payments, missed reimbursements, or years of arrears that the other parent refuses to address.
Or you may simply want to do the right thing while protecting your financial future.
These concerns are valid. Washington’s child support system moves quickly, and it does not automatically account for fairness. Judges do not investigate on their own. DCS does not gather every detail. No one protects your interests unless you do. A single miscalculation or missing document can set support too high or too low for years.
You deserve better than guesswork. You deserve clarity and a plan.
Why Child Support Goes Wrong So Easily
Most parents assume child support is simple. They expect a basic formula. They assume someone will make sure the numbers are correct. The truth is very different.
Child support often becomes inaccurate because:
- Parents do not have full access to the other parent’s income information.
- Self-employment income is complex and requires deeper financial review.
- Bonuses, commissions, business deductions, or irregular pay are handled incorrectly.
- DCS sets support based only on what is on paper, even when real income is very different.
- Whole-household income is overlooked when deviations are possible.
- Special expenses for medical care, therapy, or childcare are not included.
- Parents wait too long to modify outdated orders.
- Tax benefits are claimed incorrectly or contrary to court orders.
- Parents do not know how to challenge unfair calculations.
- The court is never shown the complete circumstances because no one requested the right documents.
The system is not designed to look out for you. It is designed to move cases forward. Without skilled representation, you are hoping that incomplete information results in a fair outcome.
That rarely happens on its own.
How We Protect You and Your Child
Our role at Pacific Northwest Family Law is to protect your financial stability, your legal rights, and your ability to care for your child without unnecessary hardship. That protection begins by understanding your story, reviewing the numbers closely, and identifying the issues that matter most in your case.
We help parents:
- Identify accurate income for both households, especially when income is irregular, self-employed, or partially concealed.
- Challenge incorrect worksheets and incomplete disclosures.
- Request deviations that reflect the realities of long-distance travel, shared schedules, or multi-family obligations.
- Address childcare, medical bills, therapy, braces, and other extraordinary expenses that are often overlooked.
- Navigate DCS actions and hearings when the administrative process feels rushed or unfair.
- Modify child support when circumstances change.
- Enforce unpaid support, medical reimbursement, and childcare contributions.
- Request college support before the deadline, so future opportunities are not lost.
- Protect or reclaim tax rights when the other parent files improperly.
These are the issues that change lives. A well-crafted support order reduces stress, gives children stability, and helps families move forward with a sense of fairness.