Defiance Child Support Lawyer For Parents On Either Side
After a separation, paying for your child’s everyday needs can add stress to an already difficult time. Kristen A. Stanton, Attorney at Law, handles every child support case personally from start to finish, pairing honest advice with genuine care for your family.
In Ohio, child support is set by a statewide formula and generally lasts until a child turns 18 or finishes high school, whichever is later, though usually not past 19. We represent Defiance parents in calculating child support, requesting changes when circumstances shift and collecting payments that have fallen behind.
How Ohio’s Child Support Guidelines Apply To Defiance Families
Ohio’s child support guidelines combine both parents’ incomes and assign each parent a share of the child’s costs. Defiance County courts apply the same basic schedule as every other Ohio county, then adjust for healthcare, childcare and parenting time. Attorney Stanton can calculate child support under the current schedule before you agree to any number.
Orders can change. If your income or your child’s needs shift, you can ask to modify child support. Ohio treats a recalculated amount more than 10 percent different from the current order as a substantial change. Because a change usually dates from the request, waiting can mean months at the old amount.
How Ohio Counts Income For Employed And Self-Employed Parents
Ohio counts gross income from nearly every source, and a court can assign income to a parent who is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed. Common sources include:
- Employment pay: Salaries, overtime, commissions and bonuses all count toward gross income.
- Self-employment income: For business owners, Ohio uses gross receipts minus ordinary and necessary business expenses. Noncash deductions such as depreciation are not subtracted.
- Benefits and pensions: Unemployment compensation, workers’ compensation and pension payments also count.
Self-employed parents should gather tax returns and business records early in the process.
Enforcing Unpaid Support Through The Defiance County CSEA
When a child support payment goes unpaid, the Defiance County Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA) can withhold wages, intercept tax refunds, suspend driver’s and professional licenses and seize bank accounts. Many of these steps are administrative, so collecting past-due support does not always require a court hearing. When they fall short, Attorney Stanton can ask the court to hold the other parent in contempt.
Get Answers About Your Child Support Order
Unpaid support adds up quickly. Call us at 888-512-6925 or send us a message to have a family law attorney review your order. We represent parents in Defiance, throughout Defiance County and across northwest Ohio.