When parents of minor children get divorced, the court often orders that one parent pays child support to the other. If you are employed, you may have the funds garnished from your wages and sent directly to the Child Support Bureau by your employer. However, if you are self-employed, you may need to make your payments directly every week or month until your children are emancipated.
In the state of Indiana, a child is considered emancipated for purposes of the child support order when he or she reaches the age of 19. Other events that could lead the court to determine that a parent is no longer required to pay child support in Washington Indiana include: marriage and active duty status with the United States military. Support may also terminate if the child is no longer living with the parent who was receiving payments. While child support will stop for the emancipated child, the order will continue in the same amount if you were paying for more than one child.
Your child support obligation will not change if your former spouse remarries. Stepparents are not obligated to financially support children so even though it may seem that your children’s other parent and his or her spouse have more than enough money to support your children on their own, you will still have to pay child support. However, if part of your divorce settlement included spousal support, that obligation may stop when your former spouse remarries.
Some parents mistakenly believe that they do not have to provide monetary support when the other parent will not allow them to see their children. It is important to recognize that Child Support in Washington Indiana is not related to visitation or parenting time. Parents who need help enforcing their visitation order should not withhold child support. Instead of depriving your children of the funds they need to maintain the standard of living they had when you were in the home, contact a family law attorney to help you.
