Virginia Family Law: How to Get Child Support
Find out how to get child support in Virginia.
Raising children can be very expensive. Food, clothing, hospital bills, extracurriculars and unreimbursed medical expenses can make it very difficult for a single mother or single father. If you are no longer living with the other parent, it is important to know how to get child support and how child support is calculated.
How Do You Ask For Child Support in Virginia?
If you are looking for help paying for your child'ren’s living expenses, the best way of getting help is to ask for child support from the other parent. If you do not yet have a child support order in place, you would need to either open a case with the Department of Child Support Enforcement or file a Petition for Child Support.
The first thing you would need to do is go to the Clerk’s office where you live or to call the Richmond Office of the Department of Child Support. They can walk you through the paperwork required to start receiving child support.
How Much Child Support Will You Get?
In order to get the most child support you can, you need to make sure you have all your receipts for your expenses ready for the Court or Child Support to review. They will want to see the cost of your insurance, your pay stubs, and day care expenses.
All of those expenses get factored into the amount of child support you are entitled to. Once you do file, the other parent will be required to provide their earning statements to the Court for calculation.
Why You Need a Child Support Lawyer.
A child support lawyer can help you get all the documentation ready to file with the Court and maximize the amount of child support you will receive. If the other parent is working under the table or is self-employed, your lawyer can help you get that information in front of the Court. So make sure you talk to a child support lawyer if you need help with paying for raising your children.