California residents probably have a variety of opinions about child support in the United States, and this is understandable as its merit is questionable as there is reportedly more than $113 billion in owed child support. A child support collection system began in 1975, but there are many reasons why the amount of unpaid child support is so high today.
Child support in the U.S. was established with the idea of helping when a family with one stay at home parent and one wage earner divorced. More unmarried parents have children together today, and both parents may have low or no income. This causes problems as a judge may order a noncustodial parent to pay a state’s minimum child support amount even if he or she has no income, and a parent could also be ordered to make back payments in child support.
Making back payments and current payments is often difficult for many parents, but the rationale for issuing a minimum amount of child support is to prompt noncustodial parents to have some responsibility for their children. To reduce unpaid child support and have both parents involved in a child’s life, change may be needed that takes into account what a parent can actually pay even if that is as little as $25 a month.
Courts typically believe that it is in a child’s best interests to have a relationship with both parents, and this could be beneficial for parents who have difficulty making significant monetary contributions to a child’s life. A formula is used to calculate child support payments in California family law cases, but a parent may have to pay less when spending enough time with a child. If one cannot afford payments anymore or one needs higher payments, one could ask for a support modification. It might be possible for a family law attorney to help a noncustodial parent petition for adjusted monthly payments.
