The process of getting divorced can no doubt be challenging to navigate financially. A particular financial area of divorce that can cause confusion is child support. Here is a look at how child support works in Pennsylvania.
Children require their parents’ financial support both before divorce and after it. For this reason, the parent who is granted custody of the children following divorce is expected to cover the children’s daily expenses. The other spouse is also expected to cover these expenses by paying child support to the custodial parent. These expenses include housing, health care, entertainment, transportation, clothing and food.
How much child support must be paid is based on a handful of factors. These factors include the quantity of children that the paying spouse is responsible for, the needs of the child and the paying parent’s net income. Other considered factors include the custodial parent’s cost of living as well as the children’s standard of living prior to the divorce. A support order can later be changed if the paying spouse’s circumstances change significantly — for example, he or she loses his or her job.
Child support can be complicated to deal with due to both the emotional and the financial aspects of it. For instance, the person who must pay child support may be concerned about having to pay an unreasonable amount, whereas the recipient may worry about receiving late payments or not receiving large enough payments. Fortunately, an attorney can provide a divorcing parent with the guidance he or she needs to tackle child support with confidence in Pennsylvania.
