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Child support can be one of the most contentious issues between parents, even after custody agreements have been established. Determining who is responsible for paying for the child’s needs, the payment schedule, and how much they will pay can lead to arguments and add strain to an already stressful situation. An experienced Bergen County child support lawyer can help you navigate your child support issues.
The Montanari Law Group is a boutique-style law firm with attorneys dedicated to providing individual attention to their clients. Our experienced Bergen County family law attorneys have over 30 years of legal experience and are knowledgeable about New Jersey child support laws. We understand the importance of financial support for a child’s well-being.
Our team is familiar with the Bergen County Superior Court, Family Part in Hackensack, where child support cases are heard, and we are ready to help.
Parents are obligated to provide financial support for their children. Under the Children’s Bill of Rights, in New Jersey, it is a child’s constitutional right to be financially supported by their parents, whether they are together or not.
Child support is a court-ordered payment from one parent to the other to ensure that a child’s needs are taken care of. In December 2024, there were 9,050 cases involving child support orders in Bergen County. The support is usually paid by the non-custodial parent to the custodial parent to cover expenses such as food, healthcare, education, and housing.
If you are trying to get child support for your child or children or need to modify the terms of your current child support agreement, our Bergen County child support attorney can help.
With the stakes so high, it is crucial to be prepared for child support proceedings. Part of being prepared is having good legal representation. An experienced attorney from our firm can help you avoid mistakes frequently made during child support cases in Bergen County.
Some of the most common mistakes include:
To help ensure you avoid these mistakes, you can hire a child support lawyer from our firm to guide you through the process.
New Jersey has very clear guidelines and formulas for determining the amount of child support one parent must pay to the other. While the Child Support Guidelines can be complex, some factors that are taken into consideration include:
In New Jersey, child support payments typically end when a child turns 19, gets married, joins the military, or passes away. Some exceptions apply depending on the circumstances. If a child is still in high school when they turn 19, child support payments will continue until they finish school. Support may continue until the child reaches age 23 if they are enrolled in college on a full-time basis or if they are disabled.
New Jersey child support laws and the calculations to determine child support are complex. It is often necessary to hire a child support lawyer to ensure you have the guidance needed to understand your rights and obligations.
An experienced attorney may have the skills needed to evaluate your child support case and look at each party’s income and expenses to make sure the support amount is fair and adequate. If your co-parent is behind on child support, we can help you enforce your child support order to collect past due payments.
The cost of a Bergen County child support attorney depends on each individual case. Many family law attorneys charge an hourly rate, and some will ask for a retainer. The costs vary depending on the attorney’s experience, the size of the firm, and the complexity of the case. We can discuss fees for our services during an initial consultation.
You are not required to have a lawyer for a child support case in Bergen County, but it is highly recommended, especially in complex cases. If you hire our child support lawyer right from the beginning, we can help you avoid complications that could cost you time and money later on.
In New Jersey, if a parent fails to pay court-ordered child support, it can lead to a variety of consequences, such as wage garnishment, license suspension, and credit reporting. The New Jersey court system monitors payments and will take action if court-ordered or past-due support payments are due. We can also help you pursue enforcement action against the paying parent.
Child support can be modified in New Jersey, but there must be valid grounds for the change, and it requires approval from the court. According to New Jersey Statute 2A:34-23, the circumstances must be permanent, substantial, and unanticipated. The justification and burden of proof for the change require the correct documentation from the applicant. Some reasons for a modification include a parent’s career change or the child’s medical expenses.
Understanding your rights and obligations when it comes to child support can seem overwhelming, whether you are in the process of determining a child support arrangement, need to modify your current agreement, or have questions about enforcing payments. The legal team at The Montanari Law Group can help. Contact us today for a free consultation, and we can take a look at your case.