Hi everyone!
I have a question for all of the moms that have been through the whole custody/child supprt issue. My husband and I are currently separated and while we're not completely sure about getting a divorce, we do live apart and have separate lives. My question is how do you go about obtaining child support legally. Do you have to go through a lawyer, or are there other avenues to go through? He has been giving money occasionally and while we did agree on an amount (I've asked for him to pay half of the daycare bill), I usually have to ask him repeatedly to pay. Asking him is starting to get very old and frustrating, and to be honest it's an extra stress that I don't really need right now. Any knowledge that anyone has would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!
My advice is to go to a child support office and file with them. That is the easiest thing to do, so that there is no problems down the road.
As far as I know, you just go down and file a report, you can actually do it online, and talk to a child support rep. They will process your information and start contacting him.
My son's dad gets garnished, they take money out of his pay check every week and put it on a debt card for me, he fought me tooth and nail but they just take a percentage out of his check. I had to go to court once. It was very simple. I never discussed it with him, I just knew he wasn't going to pay so I let the courts handle it all. I hope this helps
Been there, done that. Don't depend on him each month. Get it done through the courts with a lawyer. They can garnish his wages and have them deposited directly in your account. Saves time, trouble, and stress you don't need. Good luck.
good luck with that. yes you need a lawyer my son just turned twenty and his father has yet to pay child support I had a withholding order when we divorced but now he is a bum and does not collect a regular paycheck but as long as your husband gets a payroll check the attorney general can collect the child support. good luck
The child support office cannot help you if there is not an order to pay. You must use an attorney. I have been there and the simple truth is even with an order there is no guarantee that he will pay anything....statistics show that......you will need to learn to live on your own income as hard as that can be. Good luck to you!
http://www.oag.state.tx.us/cs/parents/apply_services.shtml
this is the link to the Attorney Generals Office for Texas... it should tell you how to submit information to open a case.
Good luck - I tired to work things out with my daughters father - that didnt work, but that because of the type of person HE is - I truly hope yo ucan work things out - I believe the children deserve to have a wonderful Family under the same roof....
If you need anything else, please do not hesitate to ask...
Yes, you can and should LEGALLY request child support during separation. It can be a temporary order till the divorce issues are settled.
I really hope you all try counseling and work it out, but I want to wish you GOOD LUCK.
I would definitely seek a lawyer on this one. It's a tricky situation that we are about to embark on as well. I think it's the one area where we will have the most problems.
You can file an order with the court for him to pay his share. You can also suspend that order if he's paying all the time and you don't have to ask (but that doesn't appear to be the case). The courts can also file a withdrawl order from his employer so it automatically comes out of his check.
You might want to try bringing it up in a way that makes it sounds like its his responsibility to SHARE in raising your kids and since they are with you all the time, unfortunately that means monetarily. A lot of guys look at it like it's a punishment for the separation or divorce. Take you out of it and just put it in respect with the kids. They need a stable environment to grow up in with regular school, clothes, food, medical.
Did you also know that he's supposed to provide the health insurance for the kids?
Definitely check out that website above. I think you'll get a lot of help from that. Also, Google Raggio and Raggio. They are a Dallas law firm specializing in family law and their website has a ton of info.
K.
Get a lawyer and get support. I felt sorry for my ex but did go through the courts. I got support issued but have not ever seen a dime. Luckily I have since remarried but for a long time I struggled and it was not worth it to the kids to see me stressed. They are his children also!
you can go to the attorney general and they will take him to court for child support. At no cost to you. And you dont have to go for divorce if you are not ready.
