CHILD SUPPORT ATTORNEY SERVING ONTARIO, CALIFORNIA

If you are a single parent in Southern California you have likely experienced the financial burdens of raising a family in an area with a high cost of living. The average cost to raise a child in Southern California is the United States is $336,398 with childcare being as high as $7,000 to $15,000 a year in some cities. These exorbitant costs can be even more painful for parents who are living separately.

Child support was established so that both parents could fairly contribute to costs associated with the needs of their children and yet, according to the U.S. Census, 7.4 million single parents choose not to pursue a support order. Unfortunately, a parent may believe that an attorney is too expensive, so instead, they shoulder the financial burden alone. A huge change to child support, starting September 1, 2024, is that expenses such as child care, uninsured medical expenses, and educational expenses, will be proportionate to the parents' net spendable incomes rather than the default 50/50 split. This means if the other parent earns more than you, they will pay a greater share of the child care expenses than you.

At the Law Office of Shelly Jean John/Family Law Revolution, we offer a variety of affordable options so that you can use your money to take care of your children. With locations in Ontario and Riverside, we serve clients in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.

WHY SOME PARENTS DON’T
ASK FOR CHILD SUPPORT

There are a variety of reasons why some custodial parents choose not to ask for financial support including:

• Uncertainty as to whether the other parent can/will pay

• A preference to avoid contact with the other parent

• A mistaken belief that because the other parent quit their job the court won't order support

• Concerns about legal fees

As family law attorneys, we can assist in communicating with your child’s other parent and help you pursue fair child support. Moreover, with our Lawyer for a Day program, you can hire me just to go to your child support hearing, engage in settlement negotiations, or do only certain tasks in your case. Many of our clients have found that they can fill out the paperwork on their own, or they use a paralegal at a lower cost and then use us for the more difficult parts of the process.

CHILD SUPPORT ORDERS IN CALIFORNIA

Child support is governed by the California Family Code. The payment is generally set using the state Child Support Guideline formula which takes into consideration each parent's income, withholdings, deductions, and the amount of time the child(ren) is in each parent's care. The guideline formula is being updated in 2024 to increase the amount of child support which is intended to better reflect the actual costs of raising children today​.

You and the other parent can agree to a "non-guideline" amount which can be established as a court order. If you do this, it is important that specific language be added to your agreement or it will be rejected by the court. If there is not an agreement, the San Bernardino or Riverside County commissioner or family court judge has the final say on the amount.

When a parent quits their job without a good reason, the court can "impute income" so that a child support order is calculated using the parent's previous income. The court also has the authority to "impute" an amount of income that the parent could be earning if they accepted jobs available to him/her.

There is a process called "discovery" where we can subpoena records from the other parent's employer, bank, and other entities, to find out where their money comes from, how much they receive, and how they are paying their bills.

The attorneys at the Law Office of Shelly Jean John/Family Law Revolution can argue before a county commissioner or judge on your behalf. We can fully represent you by preparing your paperwork, obtaining records and information through discovery, negotiating with the other parent or Department of Child Support Services on your behalf, and we can zealously advocae for you in Court. We are also available to do this on a limited scope basis so that you are only paying us for the day in court. We are licensed to appear before all California superior courts, including Riverside County and San Bernardino County.

CHANGING YOUR CHILD
SUPPORT ARRANGEMENT

If your existing child support agreement or order is no longer suitable, you can seek to obtain a modification. Sometimes, to alter your current child support arrangement, there needs to have been a change of circumstances such as a change in the needs of the child, an increase or decrease in the income of one or both parents, or a job loss. However, you are allowed to increase your child support to the "guideline" amount without a change of circumstances if the amount you are receiving is lower than the Child Support Guideline formula.

At the Law Office of Shelly Jean John/Family Law Revolution, we can strategize with you other situations that might qualify as changed circumstances and how your child support amount may be calculated. If you are interested in seeing how we can help you, you can schedule a telephone consultation or meet with us via video conference.

Child custody and support issues can be stressful and volatile. We can guide you through the process with compassion, respect, and competency. We have been helping families with child support issues for more than 25 years and we are experienced family law attorneys. Together we will pursue the child support arrangement that’s right for you and your family. We are passionate about families and can assist in all aspects of your case, including Requests for Orders from the court, replies, child support calculations, divorce, child custody issues, discovery requests and responses, drafting or consulting regarding Settlement Agreements, drafting and enforcement of Judgments, and other pleadings.