Does Adoption Affect Child Support Obligations?
Adopting a child can be challenging as you prepare to bring the newest member of your family home. You may worry about how to make it absolutely perfect so your child will feel at home with your family. But, if you are undergoing a divorce, your focus may shift from welcoming your child to other issues, like how your adoption may affect your child support.
Our attorneys at Sturdivant & Associates, LLLC are here to make this difficult time easier. Here’s what you should know:
Adoptive Parentage of the Child
Your child support obligations really depend on who adopts the child. If you jointly adopt a child with your soon-to-be former spouse as a married couple, then both of you are financially responsible for raising the new member of your home, and child support comes into play. This may affect the total amount paid for child support, increasing the value.
Individual Adoptions
However, if you individually adopt the child, then you are the sole physical and financial provider of the child. This means that while you could be paid child support, it will only be for your other children and not your adoptive child. It can also mean that if you pay child support, it will only be for your other children and not include payment for the care of your adoptive child since you will have sole custody.
If you individually adopt the child, it could change the amount that the court may order you to pay because you have one more child to solely provide for. The court may decrease your child support payments to give you more of your income to use for providing for yourself and your adoptive child. However, your child support payments are up to the court’s discretion in this situation.
Hawai’i Adoption and Divorce Attorneys
We hope that you never have to go through a divorce while adopting, but if you do, our compassionate team of attorneys is here to support you!
Contact our team online or by giving us a call at (808) 201-3898 today! We would love to set up a consultation and learn all about your adoption needs!