Child Support
Cockerill, Craig & Moore, LLC is a Gloucester County law firm in Woodbury that understands New Jersey Child support law. We will fight for a fair and proper obligation in the best interest of your children.
The right to support belongs to a child. Children are entitled to the financial support and standard of living which can be provided by both of the child’s parents. In addition to basic child support, these financial obligations may include medical insurance coverage and contribution to uncovered medical bills, day-care and summer camp expenses, private school tuition, automobile insurance coverage, and other court-approved extraordinary expenses.
Child support is awarded in the context of parents who may never have been married, are involved in paternity actions, divorces, legal separations, or domestic violence cases. Child support is always modifiable if there is a change in either parent’s financial circumstances. It is not unusual for there to be disputes or a dispute over the amount of child support payable by one parent to the other.
Child support in New Jersey is typically calculated utilizing the New Jersey Child Support Guidelines. This standardized calculation takes into consideration the parties’ income, parenting time schedule and number of overnights assigned to each parent, mandatory retirement contributions, union dues, premiums required for the child’s health insurance coverage and day care expenses. However, some cases require a customized approach, in which the Court will look to the statutory factors listed under N.J.S.A. 2A:34-23(a). These factors include: needs of the child, standard of living and economic circumstances of each parent, all sources of income, and asserts of each parent, among others.
At Cockerill, Craig & Moore, LLC, our family law attorneys diligently work on behalf of our clients to obtain accurate information to substantiate income and expenses. They undertake discovery of hidden or non-traditional sources of income, to ensure that the amount of child support is an accurate reflection of the incomes of the parties. Our goal is to protect the best interests of the children for whom the support is ordered. Our experienced attorneys counsel our clients as to the factors that affect the amount of child support payable, and gather all the financial information necessary to ensure that a child support order is entered which properly applies the guidelines or statutory factors within the particular circumstances of your case.
Parenting Worksheets: Sole Parenting And Shared Parenting
When determining child support, it is essential that the proper child support worksheet and formula is utilized. The “sole parenting” worksheet and formula applies to situations where the children reside with one parent most or all of the time. The “shared parenting” child support worksheet is used where both parents have at least two (2) overnights with the children every week. The shared parenting formulas provide appropriate credits for both parents maintaining a home for the child.
When parents share exactly equal parenting time with the children, a special formula may be applied called the Wunsch-Deffler formula.
Contact Us Today
Whether you are establishing a child support obligation or seeking a modification of an existing child support Order, the family law attorneys at Cockerill, Craig & Moore, LLC can evaluate your case and discuss the best legal options available to you. Call our office at 856-440-1231 or email us.