Fort Worth Child Support Lawyer

Choosing the Right Child Support Lawyer

When it comes to child support, parents have a lot at stake. Child support payments can be essential for ensuring that children of divorced or separated parents have the financial resources they need to thrive and grow. Unfortunately, navigating the child support laws in Texas can often be a difficult and complex matter. That is why so many families turn to an experienced family law attorney in Fort Worth for help with child support cases.

With multiple decades of experience working on child support matters, Daniel R. Bacalis, P.C. can provide experienced advice and guidance through the entire legal process—from filing paperwork to appearing in court or negotiating a settlement agreement with the other parent. We have a comprehensive knowledge of the laws that affect child support in Texas and the procedures followed in Tarrant County courts, and we can help you take steps to make sure your child will receive the support they deserve while also advising you on the best ways to protect your parental rights and your financial interests.

Establishing Child Support Orders in Fort Worth

In Texas, child support is typically paid by a child's non-custodial parent to the custodial parent. The custodial parent is the parent who the children will live with the majority of the time, and because of this, decisions about child custody can be very consequential. When addressing these issues, a parent will need to make sure to work with an attorney who can help them establish visitation schedules that will determine how child support obligations will be handled.

In most divorce and family law cases, the "obligor" parent will pay a percentage of their net resources to the other parent. A person's net resources will include all sources of income, including salary, hourly wages, overtime pay, bonuses, and commissions, as well as certain types of benefits, such as retirement or pension benefits, unemployment benefits, workers' compensation, or Social Security benefits. Some deductions can be made from the total amount of a person's income and benefits, including their income taxes and Social Security taxes. The appropriate percentage will be applied to the resulting figure to determine the amount of a parent's net resources that will be put toward child support.

In most cases, the percentages used to determine child support will be based on the number of children, as follows:

• Support for 1 child: 20 percent of net resources
• Support for 2 children: 25 percent of net resources
• Support for 3 children: 30 percent of net resources
• Support for 4 children: 35 percent of net resources
• Support for 5 children: 40 percent of net resources
• Support for 6 or more children: A minimum of 40 percent of net resources, but higher percentages may be used based on what a judge determines is an appropriate amount of support

Since each case is unique, there may be a variety of factors that could affect the amount of support a parent may be required to pay. When determining whether it may be appropriate to deviate from the standard percentages used to calculate child support, courts may consider several different factors, including the children's ages and needs, the obligor parent's ability to earn sufficient income to make ongoing payments, any other financial resources available to meet the children's needs, expenses that a parent may need to pay to ensure that children receive child care while the parent is working, and transportation expenses related to visitation. Each parent's amount of visitation time may also be considered, and if parents share equal or near-equal amounts of time with children, a reduction in the amount of support paid by one parent to the other may be appropriate.

Contact Our Fort Worth Child Support Attorney

At Daniel R. Bacalis, P.C., we understand the importance of child support payments in ensuring that children receive the care and resources they need. We can provide advice on how to establish these orders, as well as what deductions or other factors may be applicable when calculating child support payment amounts. If you are facing a child support issue in Fort Worth, our experienced family law attorney is here to help. Contact us today at 817-498-4105 for more information about our services or to schedule a free initial consultation with our knowledgeable child support lawyer.