What You Need to Know About Paying Child Support to Your Ex-Husband
It’s pretty common for women to get child support payments from their ex-husbands after divorce proceedings conclude. So common, in fact, that 23% of all families run by a single mother in the United States receive some form of child support. Additionally, every one in three children in the country lives in a single-parent household, and a whopping 80% of them are run by women. However, these facts neglect to mention the 43% of single fathers who receive child support from their ex-wives.
So, what happens when you’re on this side of the statistics? At Buckhead Family Law, we understand that there are three important things to keep in mind when paying child support to your ex-husband.
Photo by Jenny Uhling: https://www.pexels.com/photo/father-sitting-on-sand-with-a-child-27397736/
Society is Changing More Quickly Than You’d Think
Although mothers are still upholding the tradition of taking on a majority of the child-rearing tasks, things are beginning to change. Twenty years ago, the idea of a stay-at-home dad was seen by society as absurd. However, in this day and age, it’s slowly becoming something of a norm. There are plenty of families that have the woman as the main breadwinner, with the husband as the one who steps back from his job or quits it altogether in order to take care of the kids. In these situations, it makes sense for the wife to make child support payments to her ex-spouse.
Courts Like to Keep Things Balanced for the Kids
The courts tend not to favor parents being on unequal footing. Otherwise, some children would have a plethora of toys, clothes, and necessities at one parent’s house but not at the other’s home because that parent is just scraping by. Making things equal via child support, which is supposed to help the other ex-spouse support their child by keeping them fed and clothed, among other things, is the entire purpose of the practice. In situations where the former wife is the one who makes the majority of the money, they will need to pay child support.
Photo by Lisa Fotios: https://www.pexels.com/photo/father-with-small-child-walking-on-the-boardwalk-19782850/
Both Parents Need to Support the Child
Modern court systems see the need for both parents to support the children who they created. This means that both have to play a role in providing financial, emotional, physical, and psychological support. As a result, you may end up paying child support to your ex-husband to fulfill the “financial” part of the deal. In addition, having each parent play unequal role in taking care of the kids, meeting in the middle when making decisions, and essentially working together to co-parent peacefully is the goal of many court systems and parenting plans.
Determining Child Support Amounts
There are a lot of different factors that go into determining how much child support you’ll have to pay to your former husband. Things like custody arrangements, which spouse was the primary breadwinner during the marriage, and who has the largest salary are all factors to consider. In fact, if your ex-husband was the stay-at-home parent, you might end up owing him spousal support as well. It all depends on the court system and your lawyer, as well as how well you and your spouse work together to divide assets and set up a fair and consistent parenting plan.
Need a Top-Rated Divorce Lawyer in Georgia to Help Arrange Child Support Payments?
Do you not have primary custody of your child in Georgia? Do you pay child support to your ex-husband? Are you worried about your ex-spouse getting primary custody and child support in the divorce? Were you the primary breadwinner during your marriage? If you need to work out child support payments, then you need a good lawyer.
At Buckhead Family Law, our legal team works diligently to meet the needs of clients getting divorced in today’s tech driven world – this means taking everything online into consideration. One thing that hasn’t changed about divorce? It is still one of the most harrowing experiences someone can go through, and we understand that. That is why we always treat our clients with grace and compassion.
Need help? We are here to assist you as you begin the next chapter of your life while ensuring that all of the loose ends are tied up in the least complicated way. Schedule a consultation today by calling 404-390-0000.