Child Support
Child support is the amount of money that the court orders one parent to pay the other parent every month for the support of the child(ren). Child support payments are usually made until children turn 18, or 19 if they are still in high school full time, living at home, and can’t support themselves. Parents may agree to support a child longer. The court may also order that both parents continue to support a disabled adult child that is not self-supporting.
You can ask the judge to make a child support order when you:
- Get a divorce, legal separation, or annulment;
- Establish parentage; or
- Get a domestic violence restraining order.
Parents who
- have signed a voluntary declaration of paternity, OR
- are married, or are registered domestic partners, and don’t want to get legally separated or divorced can also ask for a child support order when they file a Petition for Custody and Support of Minor Children. Either parent can later ask the judge to change the amount if the situation changes. Parents can also ask the judge for help collecting (enforcing) a support order.
Spousal Support
When a couple separates or divorces, the court may order one spouse to pay the other a certain amount of support money each month. This is called “spousal support.”
The judge will take many things into consideration when deciding what spousal support should be ordered. Examples of some things the judge may consider are:
- How long the couple has been married;
- The age and health of each spouse;
- How much income each can earn on their own;
- What the expenses of each spouse are;
- Whether there are minor children at home; and
- The history of the way the couple handled money during the marriage.
Either spouse can later ask the judge to change the support amount if the situation changes. A spouse can also ask the judge for help collecting (enforcing) a support order.
If the local child support agency is currently helping you collect (enforce) a child support order for a child living with you in the same home from your spouse or former spouse, the local child support agency can help you collect (enforce) the spousal support order along with the child support order.
