Honolulu Child Support Attorney
Helping You Secure Your Child's Future
If you are going through a divorce, one of the most important matters you will need to agree upon with your spouse is child support.
This is such an important issue, and one that should not be overlooked because it involves the well-being of your child.
The dissolution of your marriage means that your financial standing will change, and so will the lifestyle that you and your children have grown accustomed to.
Child support in Hawaii can help you continue to financially provide for your child’s basic needs as well as other expenses agreed upon or required by the court. If you need help obtaining child support or need to modify the terms of your current agreement, you have found the right family law firm with Sturdivant & Associates, LLLC.
Our Honolulu child support attorney is passionate about helping families and providing them with quality legal counsel; he can help your family, too.
Can A Lawyer Help Reduce Child Support?
If you have an active child support arrangement, a family attorney can assist you to shift the amount if needed. When you are filing a modification request, our child support attorney can help you strategize for the hearing, gather vital evidence, and present your case to the court.
If you need to file a child support lawsuit, call the professionals at Sturdivant & Associates, LLLC, today. The legal separation or divorce process is already heartbreaking and complicated, so having an experienced child support lawyer on your side to help resolve child support can significantly ease some of your stress.
In addition, a qualified Honolulu child support lawyer can clarify your options, manage your needs, and effectively represent you in family court.
Reach our Honolulu child support law firm today by calling (808) 201-3898. We are equipped to handle complicated divorce agreements.
Understanding Hawaii Child Support payments
Are you going through a divorce and are wondering what child support entails? Child support involves court-ordered payments given by the non-custodial parent to the custodial parent or guardian to be used for the child’s needs and varying expenses.
The court in Hawaii usually determines the payment amount after considering a number of factors, including the non-custodial parent’s monthly income.
Ideally, the child’s parents come to an understanding about payment amounts outside of Hawaii courthouse. However, this is not always a possibility, and this is why an attorney can be so invaluable.
At Sturdivant & Associates, LLLC, our Honolulu lawyer is dedicated to helping families understand that child support goes towards payment of the child’s needs, including the following:
- Shelter (including mortgage or rent)
- Utility bills
- Food and groceries
- Medical care
- Educational expenses
- Extracurricular activities
If you need help applying for child support or enforcing an existing order, we can help. Our experienced Honolulu attorney has handled tough family law matters for over 16 years and is dedicated to being accessible to every client we serve.
Can a Child Support Case be Closed?
Yes, it's possible to close a case by contacting the Department of Child Support in Hawaii and requesting a voluntary case closure. However, not all child support cases can be closed, even if both parents mutually agree.
Cases in which the parent and child are on state assistance, such as food stamps or Medicaid, won't be closed. If you are successful in closing your case, you give up the services that the Department provides.
These include finding non-custodial parents if they move across state lines, pursuing late payments, and enforcing court orders. Once the case is officially closed, you will be solely responsible for collecting child support.
Does Child Support go up if You Make More Money?
Once a child support order has been put into place, modifications may be requested by the court or the Hawaii Child Support Enforcement Agency. While modifications may be requested at any time, cases that are less than three years old will only be considered if there has been a "substantial change in circumstances".
These circumstances include things like the loss of a job, a shift in custody, or perhaps even a hefty pay increase.
If the person who owes money makes more than 10% of what they initially did, then that would influence the amount of child support that may be owed.
