As a parent, you probably question if you have the right to receive payments for the support of a child by the other parent(mother) of the child. Below you will find some considerations about the rights of parents to receive payments for the support of a child.
Are you the parent with custody of the child?
For a father (mother) get the support of a child, he or she shall be the parent “guardianship” of the child. A father “custodial” is one who has the physical custody of a minor, this means that the child(ren) live primarily with the custodial parent, and that parent is primarily responsible for the daily care of the child. The father “custodial” may be appointed by the court after a divorce or a custody dispute. Custody can also be assumed of course in the cases of parents(mothers) singles who are in charge of raising the child without help from the other parent (when the other parent makes no effort to get custody).
Child support in cases of joint custody
In cases where a child spends the same amount of time with both parents, both will be considered to be the parents “custodial”, but even so, one of the parents may be required to pay the other expenses of child support. This often happens if there is a great difference between the income of both parents. For example, if a couple divorces and both agree to share physical custody of their child, the husband may be entitled to receive child support from the mother if it is that he was devoted to the work of the home during the marriage, while she earned a salary higher. If you do not receive the money in child support, the father probably could not afford to pay the daily expenses required to properly care for your child, even if the time of custody outside shared with his ex-wife.
Additional considerations
Be the parent with custody does not guarantee that you will be receiving the child support of a minor child. A number of legal issues and practices should also be taken into consideration. For example:
- Do you know the whereabouts or know where to locate the other parent? (Eg. address, job, contact information, etc) If you do not have the basic information, you could be entitled to free assistance locating the other parent, through the state agencies of service to the child support listed here.
- Have you established paternity? (If this matter is pending)
- Have you gone to the family court –or to the local agency of your state for the child support services– to request a child support order? In most states, once you are issued a child support order, the agency in charge of issuing the order, you can also locate the parent, to raise money for the support or offer services to ensure that child support is met.
