Child Support?

Question

hey, i'm now a proud father of a baby girl, but i don't have custody. This is going to sound crazy but i want to file child support on myself. I have my reasons but i need to know the process for me filing on myself. I just want to show the judge that i'm willing to take care of my child if custody talk will ever come up.

Answer 1

that guy is wrong... any money you give her AFTER a court order for child support is considered a 'gift'. once a court order is in place, it is that amount that is to be followed. some guys try to avoid doing what the court says, and do it their own way.

i must admit, its nice to see a father step up to the plate without being ordered to.

thank you for being a good example.

you dont need an attorney to do this, all you need to do is send a weekly amount (keep the receipt of ck or money order) to show you care about your child and have made the first step in taking care of your child.

that proves your intentions and shows you in a good light.

here is a child support calculator; just click on your state and fill it in. in most states, they go on both parents incomes (unless the baby is young, then the custodial parent isnt required to work, and if she does, daycare expenses are added it). this calculator will give you a general idea what is to be paid.

http://www.divorcelawinfo.com/calculators.htm

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Answer 2

Robert T gave you the best advise of all....
Go to your local child support office (usually family court) and file for a petition to open a child support case. Under no circumstances give her any cash as that will never be proof of payments.. Give her checks or money orders and be prepared to provide W2 forms and pay stubs to the court the day of the initial hearing... After a support order has been entered make sure ALL payments are done through child support not to her (anything given to her will be THEN considered gifts) It is not very often we see the non-custodial parent initiate a child support order but at least once a week I do get calls from men that prefer a child support order to be in placed so they don't have to fight with the custodial parent about the amount of money given!

Good Luck!

Answer 3

Send the mother money orders, and SAVE the reciepts!!! Also with anything if you buy the daughter.

Child support can get pretty nasty. Its best to do it without the courts help. Also if you do get involved in any child support custody case demand a DNA test. Many men out there get suckered into paying for children that they never knew werent theres and the courts dont care about fathers rights.

Good luck to you; and good for you for being a good dad

Answer 4

Congrats! Your daughter is lucky to have you. Since you are not married and don't have custody you need to initiate a custody/parenting time/child support case in the court. You and mom can agree on everything or you can have a judge decide. You can agree to let her have custody, you can hammer out what kind of visitation you want (or leave it general) and you can state what child support will be paid.

Good Luck.

Answer 5

It's a legal process, if you weren't married to her mother, you can ask the court for paternity test, you will need as the court may order a DNA test, and based on that you will have rights over that child, possibly visitations, share custody, or whatever the court decide, but you will definitely will have to pay child support.
You can go to social service to get some information or consult a lawyer.

Answer 6

Contact Child Support Services. They are not just to track down dead beats that don't pay and some are women too! They will lead you in the right direction and tell you the process. It might be good to go ahead and do that so you won't get behind. Also ask if 10% of your child support will be set aside for college. I kno of a guy who did that here. It will save you attorney fees. Maybe you'll get a response from an attorney, for the laws very from state to state. Society thanks you for stepping up like you have. We need more dad's like you. Congrats on the baby girl!

Answer 7

Long time reader first time answering….lol "if custody talk will ever come up" You better believe it will come up. You seem to be into this parenting business completely and thats great, I became a parent last August, the mother and I were not together, and I did not have custody, I can give you some practical advice concerning your situation.

First off get yourself a lawyer immediately, have your child support calculated according to your salary, and start paying it promptly, do not EVER miss a payment. The reason you want to do this, is if at any time things go sour between you and the mother believe me she will take you to court, and she will try to run you through the ringer. Initiating the payment process yourself, and sticking to it religiously, will demonstrate to courts/judges/etc that you have been in this since day one, should you ever end up in that position in the future. (I seriously hope you don't)

Also NEVER, give the mother cash for your baby, you always want a transaction record, proof that you paid it in full and on time.

Other then that keep a clean record, in all aspects of your life, be the model citizen, I mean literally down to any unpaid parking tickets, and even your credit record. If you ever end up in court with a spiteful mother concerning custody, they will nitpick down to anything to say "oh unfit dad, can only see his kids X amount of time,” But you will still get fleeced for child support. No matter what the scenario in a child custody case, 99% of the time the dad is the one who gets screwed.

Finally No matter what anyone says, you don't know a person until you have had a kid with them. I knew my son's mother for 13 years, before we made the leap, and she tried desperately to make life hell and failed miserably because I had all my cards accounted for. In the end she looked really bad, and I have custody of my son, and she is supposed to pay me child support. Mind you I let her keep it, I don’t need it, she makes less then me, and I want her to have money to spend on my son, also I have given her full access to him whenever she wants, even more then the courts said she was legally entitled to. Not because I feel she learned a very hard lesson, or because if I was unfair with her, it would just put me at her level. But because my son needs his mom, as much as he needs me.

Good luck, and congratulations on being a dad, its the lowest paying, but most rewarding job you will ever do in your life

Answer 8

All you have to do is open a bank account and deposit
the money every month or week however it would be dic-
tated from the courts, and be prompt on your deposits
and ask the mother what would be a good sum to pay
and have an agreement notorized so if in the future she
goes to court you have proof of showing you have been
paying child spt payments, just keep a log of every pay-
ment and the amnt so you have the information readily
available if needed. Good luck.

Answer 9

First of all know this. ANY MONEY THAT YOU GIVE HER WITHOUT A COURT ORDER IS A GIFT. Secondly You are actually ahead of the game if you are already looking to have a court order entered. Just go to your local domestic relations office there may be a fee. Finally someone to help us dads that pay look good. Anyway in regards to the custody issue, If you are taking this step because (you have your reasons) I would venture to bet that things are rocky now or you are planning that they will. I won cusody from my kids mom, and let me tell you while she kind of made it easy, it wasn't.

You will get custody in one of two manners. She gives it to you, or you can PROVE that she is not fit or not capable of caring for the child.

Answer 10

I heard that you cant be the one to start up child support. Only the custodial parent can through friend of the court. What you can do is keep receipts for everything you spend on the child and signed receipts or checks for any money so that when the time comes, you can prove you have been providing.

Good luck to you. And contact an attorney.