If parents are unmarried and paternity of a child is not established, in most states, the mother is automatically given primary custody rights over a child and is solely responsible for making decisions regarding the child and providing support. When a father wants to assert his parental rights, paternity can be established by signing a […]
Renewed Focus on Income and Parenting Time to Calculate Wisconsin Child Support
Wisconsin utilizes the income share model when calculating child support. This method takes into account both parents’ incomes, approximating the percentage of income each parent will contribute to cover basic support such as food, shelter and clothing; medical support to cover health insurance and medical costs; and variable support to cover costs of education, extracurricular […]
Modification to Child Support Order When Child Reaches Adulthood
If you are a payor of Wisconsin child support for multiple children, you must file a motion to modify the child support order when the oldest child reaches the age of majority or graduates high school to reduce the child support obligation. There is no statutory mechanism by which child support is automatically adjusted when […]
How to Protect a Child’s Financial Interests in a Divorce
When couples divorce, one parent may worry about the financial future of a child from the marriage. A parent may be concerned about protecting a child’s inheritance from being divided in the divorce or may wonder how they will afford what their child may need spanning early childhood through college. It is important to […]
Wisconsin Parenting Plans in a Divorce
When Wisconsin parents’ divorce, they will have to make many decisions regarding parenting issues which are largely addressed using a parenting plan. A parenting plan is a written agreement signed by both parents which provides clarity regarding the rights and responsibility of each parent and the physical placement (custody) of their children as part of […]
Life Insurance to Secure Child Support Payments
Securing life insurance to cover court ordered child support payments in the event of the payer’s death is important. A thoughtful calculation is necessary to ensure that the life insurance policy is robust enough to cover what might be years of support. Life Insurance to Cover Child Support Payments Life insurance to cover child support […]
Remarriage May Impact Spousal & Child Support in Wisconsin
Sometimes a financially dependent spouse is awarded spousal maintenance aka alimony in a divorce for a defined period of time or permanently depending on various factors such as the length of a marriage and financial need. If the recipient later remarries or cohabitates, alimony payments will end regardless of whether the remarriage improves the financial […]
Ex Moved Out of State | Stopped Paying Child Support
When your ex-spouse fails to pay child support there are a number of remedies from wage garnishment to revoking a driver’s license to ensure compliance. A parent may also be held in contempt of court and face legal consequences. Even when spouses live in separate states, matters related to past due child support are typically […]
Life Insurance for Child and Spousal Support Obligations
When spouses divorce, the higher earning spouse may be ordered to pay alimony or, if there are children from the marriage, child support. Because children in particular depend on the financial support of their parents, many wonder what happens in the event of a payor’s untimely death – is there a way to protect the […]
Child Support Arrears in Bankruptcy
When a divorced parent who is ordered to pay child support experiences financial difficulty, they may decide to file for bankruptcy protection to discharge unsecured debt under Chapter 7 or enter into a debt repayment plan under Chapter 13. Chapter 7 bankruptcy is for individuals who meet certain income requirements which allows debtors to discharge […]