Surprise Child Support Attorney

A Surprise Child Support Attorney is a legal professional who will protect your rights and represent you in court when seeking to receive, or being asked to pay, child support in Maricopa County, Arizona. The Enholm Law, PLLC Surprise Child Support Attorney that you meet with for a consultation will help show you the strengths and weaknesses of your side of the case. Your attorney will evaluate the specifics of your child custody situation in relation to Arizona Revised Statute (ARS) 25-403.09. During your initial session we will go over all existing documents and evidence that could possibly have an effect on the outcome of your case.

Regardless of the parenting time that you and your spouse agree on, or is ordered by the court, it is the legal responsibility of both parents to financially support any naturally conceived or adopted children. Child support is ordered to insure that the child does not suffer any further hardship beside the already stressful situation of the two parents living apart.

Arizona has adopted the Income Shares Model. Arizona makes extensive use of the Arizona Child Support Guidelines to both assess and enforce child support. The court has also developed the Arizona Child Support Calculator to help determine the amount of support and the length of time that the support is to be paid. The court also uses Arizona Revised Statute (ARS) 25-403 that is entitled “The Best Interests of the Child“. This statute was written to further minimize any undue financial hardships for the child when parents divorce. Working with an Enholm Law, PLLC Surprise Child Support Attorney will insure that your rights, and the rights of your child, are protected during this process.

Income Shares Model

The Income Shares Model places the focus of the proceedings on the monetary requirements of the child. Both parents must submit their incomes and this is used as a baseline when calculating child support. There are many other issues that are a part of the child support calculation. The Child Support Guidelines contains an easy to read chart that will help determine the amount of child support. Support must be paid in cash. Material goods or gifts cannot be given in lieu of support. Child Support is always paid through the clerk of the court for proper record keeping and to insure compliance.

Simply defined, the Income Shares Model seeks to insure that the child will enjoy the same quality of financial support that they had when their parents were living together. The first thing a Surprise Child Support Attorney will do is evaluate your current financial situation to give you both a clear picture of what you are facing during your initial consultation.

Arizona Child Support Calculator

The Maricopa Superior Court makes use of the Arizona Child Support Guidelines when determining support. These guidelines, used in conjunction with the Arizona Child Support Calculator, are the main governing documents that determine child support and the length of time this support is ordered. For your convenience, you can use the links in this article to read and download copies of both the calculator and the guidelines. The financial responsibility of the parent who must pay support will be based upon the information entered. An Enholm Law, PLLC Surprise Child Support Attorney will work with you to prepare this document while advising you on the impact of any decisions you need to make.

The calculator requires the name and date of birth of the child. This basic information will guide the court when determining how long child support must be paid. The next field used to calculate child support is income. The court takes into account the following:

Gross income
Court-ordered child support from other relationships
Court ordered spousal maintenance paid and received
Custodial parenting of other children not common to the relationship

The next field filled out when calculating child support is called Additions. Additions can include, but are not limited to, dental, medical and vision paid for the child. Additions can also include any extra educational expense such as school tuition, tutoring, minor child daycare expenses and extraordinary expenses required by a handicapped or gifted child.

Establishing Child Support

In Arizona, a court order must be filed to establish the child support amount as well as length of time that support must be paid. Once a final order has been entered governing child custody, a formal request must be filed to establish child support. The incomes of both parents are used when calculating the amount of child support paid by the noncustodial parent. A Surprise Child Support Attorney can advise you while you are attempting to get this order filed.

Payment of Child Support

The order to pay child support has to be signed by the judge and specify:

When to begin paying
The amount of child support
When are the payments due
Who will pay whom

In Arizona, a judge can file an “order of Assignment” and serve a copy on the employer of the parent who is ordered to pay support. The employer is then required to withhold support payments. Support payments are required to be paid via the “Support Payment Clearinghouse”. Paying through the “clearinghouse” will allow the court to see that payments are being made and provide proper record keeping. Call an Enholm Law, PLLC Surprise Child Support Attorney for a consultation to make sure your rights, and the rights of your child, are being observed during the determination of the child support proceedings.

Enforcement of Child Support Payment

The most common form of child support payments we see are made on a monthly basis. This can be arrived at voluntarily by the parents or ordered by a judge. The order will also include the length of time that this support must be paid. If your spouse is not keeping up with payments required by an existing Order of Assignment, an Enholm Law, PLLC Surprise Child Support Attorney will help. If payments are not made on time there are a few options:

Interception of tax refunds
Seizure of bank accounts
Worker’s compensation intercepted
Liens against personal property and cars
Suspension of license (drivers, professional)
Court action which can result in jail time
Unemployment insurance payment intercepted
Passport denial

Surprise Child Support Attorney – consultation

During your initial consultation, your Enholm Law, PLLC Surprise Child Support Attorney will review the specific circumstances that you face in relationship to your legal issues. This time is set aside for your Surprise Child Support Attorney to listen to your side and to advise you on the strengths and weaknesses in your legal argument. All of the documents that have been drafted, any evidence that might be involved and the specific legal facts of your case will be discussed. This meeting will be held in your local area to insure that you have the maximum amount of time to focus on your specific situation.

Enholm Law, PLLC – What To Expect

At Enholm Law, PLLC, we take our slogan “we take sides…yours” extremely seriously. When you are facing legal issues of any kind, the additional burden of feeling alone or that you have no one on your side can be stressful on you both emotionally and physically. Knowing that you have someone who will listen, who will follow a defined course of action and who will protect your rights are critical factors in the personal and legal success of your case. Our staff, including your Surprise Child Support Attorney, are trained to work together in a cohesive unit to provide you with the personal and professional legal tools you need. We make the following promises to all of our clients:

All meetings can be arranged in Surprise, Arizona, for your convenience.
All of our staff undergo ongoing training in their specific fields of endeavor.
A high level of competency and skill, to include all statutes and case law, are expected of our team.
You will receive a comprehensive, easy to follow, plan that we only deviate from when circumstances change.
You will receive bi-weekly status calls to update you on the progress of your case.
All of your phone calls or emails will be returned within 24 hours or less.
A clear Fee Structure based upon a flat fee model or hourly billing.

Call (602)889-6273 right now to receive your initial consultation with a Surprise Child Support Attorney who is ready to take your side.