During divorce proceedings, spouses have important decisions that need to be resolved. Often times, it can be difficult for couples to come to a conclusion together. For these cases, a judge may have to make the decisions for the couple. In the state of New Jersey, child support laws were created to put the needs of the child first to ensure their well-being.
In New Jersey, there is no approximate age for child support to end. One parent can relieve another parent of their duty to fulfill child support in a written agreement. If the child turns 19 and is financially independent, a parent may ask the court to file papers, making the child emancipated. This means the child support will stop.
How is child support decided?
When deciding upon child support, New Jersey judges have to review various factors to determine the best support structure. This includes a range of factors to ensure the child is taken care of. These factors consist of the financial status of each parent, each party’s work history and each party’s earning capacity. In addition, the income, debt and assets of each parent are considered. With all this information, the judge can estimate how much each parent can provide for the child.
Besides financial factors, the judge considers the amount of time the child spends living with each parent. Since the court needs to decide with the best interests of the child in mind, they consider a variety of factors involving the child. This includes the child’s needs, age, health, education and the cost of providing for the child, including daycare. All of these aspects help to decide how much child support is needed to keep a consistent living for a healthy child or to improve their overall well-being.
What is parenting time?
Parenting time is another factor that judges consider to decide an outcome for child support. If the child lives with one parent for most of the time, then this may have an influence on the child support structure. If they live with that parent for a majority of the time, the odds are that this parent provides a lot for the child during their stay with them. When children with special needs are involved in these cases, the court may raise the cost of the child support to fit the higher cost of taking care of the child’s everyday needs.
If parents are able to agree to a shared parenting style, they will need to demonstrate the responsibilities of each parent. Shared parenting is when a child spends 2 or more nights a week or 104 nights per year with the non-custodial parent. This can be a difficult process to maintain since both parents would have to cooperate amicably.
If you require strong legal representation for matters of divorce and family law in New Jersey, contact The Law Offices of Paone, Zaleski & Murphy to schedule a consultation with one of our experienced attorneys today.
