Many parents, particularly a parent who have
been directed by the court to pay a large monthly child support
payment, feel that the child support laws in their state are
unfair. The fact remains that once a child is
conceived, the biological parents have an ethical and legal
responsibility to pay for the child's economic necessities which
include but may not be limited to shelter, food, clothing,
health care, education and day to day expenses until the child
reaches the age of majority, which in most states is age
18. Having to make a hefty child support payment is
not in and of child support fraud. Having said that, there
may be cases in which actual child support fraud has
occurred. If this happens, it must be brought to the
attention of the court. There is no guarantee that
suspected fraud will increase or lower the non-custodial
parent's child support payments, but situations worth bringing
to the court's attention include:
-
The non-custodial parent, usually the
father, discovers that he is not the child's biological
parent
-
The non-custodial parent fraudulently
underreports his or her income so that his payments are
lower than they would be if the true amount of income were
reported
Re-marriage is not grounds for claiming child
support fraud, but it may be grounds for increasing child
support payments (if the non-custodial parent marries) or for
lowering them (if the custodial parent marries). And
while the amount of child support may change, it is rarely
terminated before the child reaches the age of
majority. When it comes to child support, the
laws are different in each state but the interests of the child
are always paramount.
If you suspect child support fraud, then you
need to talk to a local, affordable lawyer who is experienced in
child support cases. Contact us
and we can put you in touch the right lawyer for your situation
and help you and the court determine if child support fraud has
occurred.