When you have children with someone you aren’t married to, there’s a strong chance that you’re going to have some kind of child support agreement. Both divorced and unmarried parents can pursue a legally enforced support arrangement, but those agreements aren’t meant to stand the test of time.
Often throughout your life, circumstances change. Those changes are outside your control. The law allows you to pursue updating your agreements as your life moves down unpredictable paths:
Parental rights termination should mean the end of child support
When your child’s other parent pursues termination of your parental rights, you have a few options. You can fight it. Or you can accept the situation and sign away your rights. No matter what you choose, if your parental rights end, so do your obligations. However, that may not impact the agreement itself. In California, you cannot end parental rights by any means but a court order, so updating your agreements in those hearings is necessary.
How will getting married affect child support?
Marriages do not necessarily change the child support situation you are in. If you are getting married or your ex is about to get married, it may be worth speaking with an attorney. A new spouse can mean greater resources for one party or another. In some cases, a new spouse may consider adopting their stepchild.
Unemployment and child support
What counts as income for child support in California isn’t always clear, but your income from your job is a major source. However, if you have a job change or lose your job, that can and will affect your ability to pay.
Moving to a new area
If you must move, either locally or internationally, your ability to pay child support will change. Some places may be less expensive, meaning you can afford to pay more.
Your life changes. Get the guidance you need to resolve your support concerns.