Child support enforcement in North Carolina often raises questions about wage withholding and when it is required, and whether the courts can allow alternative payment methods instead. As you will see in Price v. New Hanover County Child Support o/b/o Murray-Price, the North Carolina Court of Appeals has addressed these common questions directly. Continue reading →
Family law cases are not decided in theory. They are decided based on real people, real finances, and real evidence. The North Carolina Court of Appeals case Keith v. Keith, 911 S.E.2d 371 (N.C. Ct. App. 2024) is a strong example of how courts evaluate child support when one parent controls their income and how important detailed court findings truly are. Continue reading →
Tax season for the 2024 tax year will come to a close for most people in the next month. Filers who make regular support payments to ex-spouses or children may wonder whether these payments are deductible on their federal taxes. Alimony is typically deductible while child support is not, but the process can be complicated, as the case of Rojas v. Commissioner shows. Continue reading →
Calculating the amount that a child’s primary caregiver is to receive in child support payments can be complicated. Beyond just comparing the two spouse’s incomes, courts often weigh factors like work expenses, childcare expenses, health insurance premiums, transportation costs, and other expenses. Knowing which of your daily costs will count towards this calculation is crucial to assure you are in the best position in these proceedings.
But can these calculations include expenses like private school tuition and business expenses? Continue reading →
There are some situations in which a non-parent may be required to pay child support in North Carolina, but there are strict requirements that must be met. In most cases, non-parents are not obligated to pay child support.
A recent Court of Appeals case dealt with this issue, stating that, in the absence of a parental relationship and a formal, written agreement, a non-parent cannot be made to pay child support. Continue reading →
North Carolina child support is calculated using various elements like the needs of the child and the custody arrangements, but income is one of the most significant factors in child support determinations. In most cases, the income each parent presently and actually earns is used to calculate support obligations.
However, imputed income is sometimes calculated in select cases. Imputing income occurs when the court uses earning potential to calculate support amounts. Most often, courts impute income when one parent is underemployed or underearning and acts in bad faith to avoid paying support. Continue reading →
Modification of child support may be an option if there has been a material change in circumstances. Parents often use a change in income to justify a recalculation of child support, but this is not always a relevant reason. Continue reading →
Jackson v. Jackson, 2021-NCCOA-614 (2021)
Child support calculations use multiple factors to determine an appropriate amount of support. Perhaps the most significant of these factors is the income of both parents. When parents have salaried jobs or work for an hourly wage, these calculations are fairly straightforward. But for parents who own businesses or have self-employment income, determining child support can become complicated. Continue reading →
In the realm of celebrity divorces, Halle Berry’s recent settlement with ex-husband Olivier Martinez offers some interesting insights, especially for high-income mothers in Greensboro facing similar circumstances. As Greensboro divorce attorneys, we observe such high-profile cases not just for their star power, but for the legal precedents and insights they offer.
North Carolina Divorce Lawyers Blog