Most British Columbia parents who are going through divorces have the best interests of their children at heart. For the parent who must pay child support, it might not be a burden, but careful budgeting may be necessary to maintain monthly payments. There are some financial strategies to stay current on child support.
On-time payments can ensure that children receive necessary clothing, food, school requirements and more. When child support payments fall behind, they can quickly accumulate to unmanageable amounts, and it might lead to legal problems. Researching the available payment methods may help to ease the process. Looking at documentation options at the same time can prevent a co-parent claiming that child-support payments were not made.
Budgeting for child support payments along with other obligations such a rent, utilities, food and other necessities may be a practical strategy. However, despite a parent’s good intentions to support his or her child after divorce, life tends to present unanticipated challenges that can ruin any carefully planned budgets. Parents who would not typically neglect to pay child support may lose their jobs or incur massive medical expences after accidents or illnesses.
The best steps to take in such circumstances may be to consult with an experienced British Columbia lawyer who focusses on family law. A skilled lawyer can explain how the parent can go about getting the family court to modify the amount of child support to an affordable amount. A lawyer will assess the client’s circumstances and make sure the necessary proof of hardship is presented to the court when the motion is filed. It might even be possible to negotiate a lower amount with the co-parent, but it is imperative that the court authorizes such an agreement. Leaving it as a verbal agreement can lead to litigation in the future.
Source: marriage.com, “Strategies for Paying Child Support“, Accessed on Dec. 2, 2016