Denver Child Support Attorney

Caring, Compassionate Child Support Legal Services

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Understanding Colorado Child Support Laws

Hiring Our Child Support Lawyers in Denver Is an Investment in Your Family’s Future

Hiring an experienced child support lawyer in Denver is essential in ensuring your family is protected. Divorce is the dissolution of a marriage — but it does not erase parental responsibilities or rights.

Children of divorce are innocent bystanders who often suffer because of the unwillingness or inability of their parents to support them. Having legally enforceable child support plans that provide appropriately for your children is critical for their future. Call our child support attorneys at Price Family Law for help getting your child the financial support they are entitled to.

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How a Denver Child Support Attorney Can Assist You

Marriages can end. Parenting does not. Post-divorce, parents are still responsible for their children’s emotional and financial care. Child support is a payment from one parent to the other to provide financial care for their children.

Our legal team at Price Family Law is experienced in handling child support cases, as well as being a leading spousal support law firm. We can help draft appropriate and reasonable agreements to reduce tension and avoid arguments. We work to protect you and your children. We also will review agreements submitted by your ex-spouse to determine if they are fair and will adequately provide for your children.

We stand ready to help when existing child support agreements are not upheld. Our goals are to ensure your children will be well cared for and to protect their rights. If you also face challenges with visitation, our lawyers for visitation rights are here to assist.

Find out how we can help you. Contact our Denver child support lawyer today at 720-615-1750 for your free consultation.

Our Experienced Child Support Attorney Provides Trustworthy Services And Peace of Mind

Creating a plan to ensure that your children are well taken care of is perhaps the most important thing you, as a parent, must do. It is also often an incredibly emotional process. The team at Price Family Law understands and appreciates this. Our child support attorney knows that the combination of finances and children is sensitive.

We pride ourselves on being a calming presence during child support negotiations. Because we are not emotionally involved in your relationship, we can offer objective and professional advice and counsel to ensure that the agreement reached is fair and appropriate for your children and your unique situation.

What Is Child Support?

When couples divorce, they tend to live separately. Child support ensures that minor children are cared for after this happens because separate living spaces mean two sets of bills to keep both households going. Child support can make up the difference when the custodial parent experiences a loss of what may have been shared income to cover those bills. These payments are typically ongoing and cover both basic and extraordinary expenses.

Basic expenses covered by child support include, but are not limited to:

  • Housing (rent or mortgage assistance)
  • Food (grocery bills)
  • School lunch (if students buy)
  • Clothing
  • Medical care
  • Dental care
  • Specialty care (for children with special needs).

Extraordinary expenses are those extras that tend to arise periodically. These include, but are not limited to:

  • School expenses (field trips, supplies, tutoring)
  • Private lessons (music, dance, sports training, art)
  • Activity equipment (uniforms, instruments, supplies).

To maintain some sense of normalcy for children, costs for these activities will likely be split among divorced parents proportionally, based on their incomes. Additionally, when raising children, we need to expect the unexpected. Things always seem to come up. The courts know this as well. Thus, child support agreements usually include a plan for paying for these unexpected costs when determining payment amounts.

How Is Child Support Determined in Colorado?

Child support arrangements are not randomly determined.  Colorado has Child Support Guidelines that provide a baseline from which child support agreements can be built. The state has developed worksheets that can be used as a starting point in the process.

These guidelines consider parents’ gross incomes, expenses, living arrangements (nights spent with each parent), any child income, and other child support/alimony agreements. Our Denver child support attorney can share in-depth insight into this process.

Understanding How Gross Income Affects Child Support Calculations

Child support calculations begin with a look at both parents’ gross (before tax) incomes. The components of gross income include but are not limited to salary (including commission, tips, and bonuses), certain investment income (trust, capital gains, annuities, dividends), retirement benefits and pensions, unemployment, workers’ comp and disability, monetary gifts and prizes, business income, and social security.

Among the items not included when determining gross income are public assistance benefits, income from jobs performed in addition to a full-time position, minors’ social security benefits, child support, and recognized gains on IRAs unless distributed. These lists are not inclusive and can be confusing.

Talk to our child support attorneys in Denver for a complete accounting and further information on how gross income calculations are made.

Colorado Child Support FAQ

Our Child Support Lawyers Answer Your Questions

The team at Price Family Law recognizes and appreciates that each child support agreement will be unique.

That said, we are regularly approached with questions related to child custody. These questions often have standard answers. The responses can help those grappling with child custody better understand how the process works and what to expect. Below, we have shared some of the most frequently asked questions and our professionals’ responses.

Is there a relationship between child support and child custody? 

In general, there is. For example, if your children reside primarily with the parent who earns more money, that parent may not need to pay child support (depending upon the earnings of the other parent). Conversely, if your children reside for more time with the lower-earning parent, the higher-earning parent may be responsible for more significant child support payments.

The amount of these payments will, of course, depend upon the living arrangements, the income of both parents, and associated expenses. Talk to our child custody lawyers about your situation to find out what we can do for you.

If I am paying child support, can I dictate how those funds are spent? 

Not really. The recipient of the child support determines how to spend that money. If you are concerned that your payments are being spent irresponsibly or your child is not receiving the full benefit, you can go to court and request accounting records.

What age do my children have to be to receive child support? 

Child support is generally required in Colorado until a minor child turns 19 (or becomes emancipated).

How are college costs handled in child support agreements? 

Because most college expenses occur after a child turns 19, they are not a standard part of child support agreements. If both parents agree to pay for this level of education, it can be included in a child support agreement. However, if one parent refuses to help pay tuition or other college expenses during the child support agreement process, the courts cannot require payment.

What if my ex does not pay their child support? 

Child support agreements created in court are legally enforceable. If you are not receiving support as ordered, our child support attorney can help. Penalties are considerable and may include an assessment of 12% annual interest compounded monthly, repayment of attorney’s fees, and even being held in contempt of court.

Can my wages be garnished to pay child support? 

Yes, in Colorado, the courts can garnish wages to pay child support. The organization that does this is Child Support Services.

My divorce was amicable, and my ex and I have agreed on child support. Do we need a formal agreement? 

Absolutely. There are a couple of reasons why. First, while your relationship is good at this point in time, there is no guarantee that this will be the case in the future.

Once finalized, can child support payments be changed? 

Yes, if the circumstances under which the original order was developed have changed, and the resulting financial responsibility would either increase or decrease by 10% or more, you can request a modification. This may involve a new job, an increased salary reduction, increased or decreased needs (like a young child no longer needing daycare), or even a change to your custody agreement, affecting the amount of time the child spends with each parent. Colorado Revised Statutes Section 14-10-122 details the law regarding changes in child support payments.

Get Help From A Child Support Attorney in Colorado Today

This list of questions is not all-encompassing. You will likely have a host of others. Contact our child support lawyers at Price Family Law and schedule a free consultation. We can review your situation, answer your questions, and help you determine how to proceed. Get started today by contacting our office at 720-615-1750.

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Attorney Trista Price

Trista McElhaney Price is a founding partner at Price Family Law, LLC. She specializes in high-asset divorce cases and legal matters involving complex business and financial issues as well as complex custody matters involving domestic violence, substance abuse issues, and mental health issues. Read Full Bio.

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