The #1 Child Support Lawyer in Sugar Land, Texas
Our experienced team at Essex Law Firm is dedicated to securing fair and sustainable child support arrangements that meet your child’s needs and support your family’s well-being in Sugar Land, TX
Texas’ Best Child Support Attorney Fight For You
At Essex Law Firm, we understand the critical importance of securing child support judgments, which are calculated according to the laws of the State of Texas, with variations in those cases where that is possible. Texas child support laws can be complex, and ensuring that your child support calculation is in accordance with those laws requires knowledgeable and experienced legal guidance. Whether you’re seeking to establish, modify, or enforce child support orders, our firm is dedicated to protecting your rights and your child’s best interests.
If you need assistance with child support matters in Sugar Land, Texas, contact Essex Law Firm today. Let our expert child support lawyer provide the expert legal support you need to navigate the process and ensure a positive outcome for you and your family.
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Licensed Family Law Attorney
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Nearly 40 Years of Protecting Your Rights
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Expert Guidance Through Complex Family Matters
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Trusted by Thousands of Texas Families
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Compassionate and Personalized Legal Support
For Expert Legal Support IN Texas
Understanding Your Child Support Obligations in Sugar Land, Texas
Navigating child support in Texas can be complex, involving various factors and legal requirements. Consulting with a child support lawyer can help to ensure that your child receive the financial support they need. Whether you are a parent seeking support or a non-custodial parent looking to understand your obligations, it’s essential to grasp how child support is calculated, enforced, and modified according to Texas law.
Why is Child Support Important?
Child support is a critical aspect of ensuring that a child’s financial needs are met when parents are no longer living together. It plays a vital role in maintaining the child’s standard of living and ensuring they have access to necessities such as housing, nutrition, healthcare, and education. Child support ensures that both parents contribute to their child’s well-being, regardless of their relationship status or living arrangements.
Legal Responsibilities of Parents
In Texas, both parents have a legal obligation to support their child financially. A child support lawyer can help you understand and fulfill these obligations. This obligation is not dependent on whether the parents were married or lived together. The law recognizes that both parents share responsibility for providing for their child’s well-being, and child support serves as a mechanism to ensure that this responsibility is fulfilled consistently.
Understanding Child Support Responsibilities and Processes in Sugar Land, Texas
Who Pays Support?
Parents of a child in Texas who do not reside in the same household are obligated to provide support for their child. This is usually the result of a divorce or separation if the parents are married. A child support obligation also arises when parents separate who resided together but have not been married to each other, or from the birth of a child to parents who do not and have never resided together.
How is support calculated?
The State of Texas has created and implemented a mathematical formula to calculate the amount of support a parent will pay who does not live with the child (called the “noncustodial parent” or “NCP”). The formula is presumed to be in the best interest of the child and is used by all judges, agencies and attorneys, including child support lawyers, when calculating child support in Texas. Very rarely, a judge will, with evidence presented according to specific guidelines, adjust the support amount. The exception is for instances in which the NCP’s income exceeds the maximum amount under the child support guidelines ($7500 net income). For the most part, it is safe to assume that the mathematical formula will apply up the maximum net income of $7500.
How is the child support formula applied?
Start with the noncustodial parent’s net resources (which includes gross wage and salary income, including overtime, self-employment income, and various other types of income, but does not include the income from a new spouse). Using an Office of the Attorney General Child Support Tax Chart (updated each year), which can be found in the Texas Family Code Sec. 154.061, deduct FICA, Medicare, and Federal Income Taxes per the chart, not from a paycheck, calculate the net monthly income of the noncustodial parent. The net monthly income, which results, should be multiplied by 20% for one child, 25% for two children, and 30% for three children, up to a maximum of 40%. The percentages are reduced somewhat if the NCP is obligated to support other children not of the same relationship. Note that the calculation for self-employment income is more complicated and not easily subject to using the formula because it is not readily obvious what exactly net resources are for a self-employed person.
How long does child support last?
The NCP is obligated to pay child support until a child turns 18 or graduates from high school, whichever comes last. For special needs children, support can continue past those times. For parents of more than one child, child support decreases as each child turns 18 or graduates from high school. It does not, however, decrease, for example, 50% if there are two children and one child turns 18 or graduate from high school; or 33% if there are three children and one child turns 18 or graduate from high school. A child support lawyer can help you navigate how the payments decrease, ensuring that the NCP is paying the correct guideline percentage. If there were two children under age 18 when the support was ordered and now there is one, that percentage would be 20% of the NCP’s net income, for example. These “step-downs” are required to be in the child support order.
How is the child support paid?
Texas law mandates that child support be paid through wage withholding, which means that the noncustodial parent’s employer will be ordered to withhold the child support once a court order is signed for child support. Texas law further mandates that all child support be paid through the Texas Child Support Disbursement Unit in San Antonio. The employer sends the child support to the Texas Child Support Disbursement Unit and payment is then made to the custodial parent (CP). Obviously, there will be no wage withholding for a person who has no employer or a self-employed person. For those persons paying child support, the NCP must send the payments directly to the Disbursement Unit. It is important to realize that paying through the Disbursement Unit benefits both parents because it serves as “prima facie” evidence, or “a fact presumed to be true unless it is disproved.” This means that both the NCP and CP always have a record available through the Disbursement website of what payments have been, so that canceled checks and money order receipts do not have to be scrounged for, etc., if there is a dispute over the amounts paid.
Can the child support amount be changed?
The child support amount can be changed by court order only. For the noncustodial parent, if you lose your job or your pay substantially decreases, you should immediately contact either the Texas Attorney General or a private lawyer. The child support amount will stay the same even if your pay is less, until the court actually signs an order reducing it. It is therefore important to act as soon as possible because getting a court order can take a significant amount of time and you can be obligated for the original amount for several months after you file for a decrease in support. For the CP, you are entitled to a review by the Texas Attorney General every three years after a court order has been signed to see if the child support should be increased. The Attorney General, because of the volume of its cases, will only review the child support every three years. If you know that the NCP’s pay has increased substantially and three years have not passed, you are entitled to contact a private child support lawyer to file for an increase in support.
Helpful Links on Child Support in Texas
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What Sets Us Apart
Why Choose “The Red Headed Lawyer” for Your Child Support Case in Sugar Land, Texas?
When navigating the complexities of child support in Sugar Land, Texas, having a skilled child support lawyer by your side can make all the difference. At Essex Law Firm, we specialize in providing expert legal support to ensure that your child’s needs are met and your rights are protected. Here’s how our child support lawyer services stand out:
Cost
There are so many different ways lawyers charge! Some say flat fee, some say retainer, some say flat fee for this or that, retainer and hourly rate for something else. At Essex Law Firm, P.C., every case is a flat-fee case, specifically geared to you. This means you know up-front exactly what your case is going to cost and you don’t pay for what we don’t do. (We even offer an electronic funds transfer (EFT) payment plan and you can make payments via LawPay.)
Experience
You have the right to assume that any lawyer you hire will have at least some experience. Is it enough for your case. The “Red Headed Lawyer” has 31 years experience as a family law attorney. She has practiced many times in front of almost every judge in Harris and Montgomery counties. She lets you know what to expect from your court and your judge.
Knowledge
Every lawyer in Texas must pass the bar exam and be licensed to practice. But what should you look for beyond that? You need Marivonne Essex—a child support attorney in Sugar Land, TX who stays current with legal changes, regularly attends continuing education, and isn’t too busy to conduct the necessary research to build a strong case. She is dedicated to doing what it takes to achieve the best possible outcome for you.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions About Child Support in Sugar Land, Texas
Grounds for modification are a material and substantial change in the circumstances of a child or a person affected by the order OR the passage of three years since the last child support order and a difference in monthly payment by either 20 percent or $100 from the child support guidelines. For more guidance, contact our skilled child support lawyer in Sugar Land, Texas!
If a noncustodial parent does not pay child support, he or she is subject to enforcement measures to collect regular and past-due payments. Enforcement can result in jail time or payment arrangements or one or several other forms of enforcing the court order. There is also a statutory 6% interest for past-due child support.
The maximum child support is calculated based on $7500 per month NET income (which is about $10,500-$11,000 GROSS income), and is $1500 for one child and $1875 for two children.
It is calculated based on a formula that takes a person’s GROSS income, subtracts certain items that are deductible for child support purposes, and the result is a person’s NET income for child support purposes. The child support is 20% of the NET income for child support purposes for one child and 25% for two. It is necessary to use the Attorney General chart each year to calculate the child support.
- Child support is based on a formula (see above).
- The formula is used by all the judges in Texas.
- It can be varied from but rarely is.
- Once a court order is entered for child support, wage withholding is mandatory.
- All payments are required to be made through the Child Support Disbursement Unit in San Antonio. There should NOT be any direct payments to the custodial parent.
If you’re involved in a child support case in Texas, hiring a child support lawyer can be crucial to ensuring that your interests are protected. A skilled child support lawyer will provide expert guidance on navigating the complexities of Texas child support laws, helping you understand your obligations and rights. Whether you are seeking to establish, modify, or enforce a child support order, having a dedicated child support lawyer by your side can significantly impact the outcome of your case, ensuring that the process is handled efficiently and fairly. Schedule a consultation with our expert legal team serving Sugar Land, TX today.
More Questions? Get expert legal council with Marivonne Essex!
Explore Our Full Range of Family Law Services in Texas Beyond Child Support
The Best Child Support Lawyer Near You in Sugar Land, Texas
As a renowned child support lawyer serving Sugar Land, Texas, Marivonne Essex provides expert legal services across the entire state. With nearly 40 years of experience, she is well-versed in the intricacies of child support laws and the specific procedures of various county courts throughout Texas.
If you’re seeking a trusted child support lawyer in Sugar Land, Texas who knows how to navigate the complexities of different county courts and provide dedicated legal support, look no further.
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