Sacramento Child Support

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Get the proper legal help you need

Need Help Calculating Child Support?

Child Support ensures that a child enjoys the same standard of living in both homes. Our attorneys know how to properly present and defend these issues. Each of the lawyers at Hughes Law Group has over 25 years securing appropriate support and defending improper child support requests in Sacramento and Placer Counties.  Support issues are often vigorously contested.  As the parties’ incomes or custodial schedules change, child support orders should be reviewed.

California children have the right to be supported by both of their parents.  The attorneys at Hughes Law Group can assist you with:

  • proper calculation of child support guidelines
  • drafting accurate financial declarations
  • securing and serving income withholding orders
  • determining the opposing party’s income available for support and related tasks

How is it calculated?

Child support in California is determined by Statewide Uniform Guidelines set forth in Family Code §4055.

The formula takes into consideration:

  • How much time the child spends with each parent
  • The gross income of both parties (taxable and non-taxable)
  • Payroll deductions
  • Deferred income
  • Tax filing status
  • Health care premiums
  • Mandatory retirement

The formula is further complicated when parents are already paying child support for children from a previous relationship, have additional children in their current relationship, enjoy extremely highly earnings or if they own their own businesses. Issues of a parent’s ability to earn and the true overall compensation of self-employed parents come up repeatedly in these cases.

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Child Support Orders

Child support orders may also require parents to share child care expenses to allow the custodial parent to work or vocational training, out-of-pocket health care expenses for the child, travel costs for visitation to the other parent, the child’s educational needs or the child’s other special needs.

Support orders do not ordinarily increase or decrease automatically such as when a parent becomes disabled or loses a job.  Unless modified by the Court, the order remains in effect until the child reaches 18 years of age and is no longer a full-time high school student (unless medically excused), the child reaches 19, the child gets married or s/he begins military service.

Our Attorneys can help you

If you are having any trouble with a child support order or if you think a modification is appropriate, contact the attorneys at Hughes Law Group today. 

When booking a child support consultation, it is helpful to bring:

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Any prior court orders for support you may have received

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Your most recent tax return, your most recent paystubs (or disability pay information)

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Any Income and Expense Declarations (Judicial Council Form FL-150) that you may have received from the opposing party

Lastly, because guideline child support is calculated on the actual custodial time that you spend with your children, if the parties are not actually following the terms of a custody order, any proof that you may have of your time with the children can be helpful.

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Child Support Resources

The following resources are provided to assist with calculation of guideline child support and enforcement of child support orders.  Proper calculation of child support is legally nuanced and sometimes counter-intuitive.  At attorney from our firm can discuss calculation or enforcement issues during a consultation.

Our Client's Reviews

Fran H.

"Marc has been amazing guiding us through a complicated case involving international jurisdictions and child support payments. He is knowledgeable, advocated on our behalf and was very effective. One of the better decisions I made was hiring Hughes Law Group."