Articles and information related to Child Support in the State of Washington. Please contact us at 425-255-4542 for information about your specific case.Family Law: Calculating Income for Support in Washington In order to calculate child support or spousal maintenance, it is important to have accurate income information of the spouses. The Washington legislature has defined what is and what is not income for child support calculations in RCW 26.19.071, as follows: (1) Consideration of all income. All […]
Child Support
Family Law: Child Support The Child Support Schedule was established by the State legislature in 1988 to comply with federal law requiring each state to have a standardized statewide support schedule. The legislative intent is to ensure that child support orders meet a child’s basic needs and provide support commensurate with the parents income, resources, […]
Child Support Arrearage
Child support is a large part of any divorce settlement in which children are involved. Beginning in the 1980’s the government placed a more intense focus on enforcing child support payments and going after those who did not comply with their part of the arrangement. Arrearages. Overdue child support payments are called arrearages. This can […]
Child Support Deviation
The amount of child support is determined according to the Washington State Child Support Schedule. The Court then Orders each parent to pay the amount of child support using the standard calculation. This is true even if the parents informally agree between themselves to a lower transfer payment. However, special circumstances in a given situation […]
Child Support Enforcement
Family Law: Child Support Enforcement Many Washington Court Orders, and all administrative notices, contain immediate wage withholding language authorizing the Division of Child Support to take child support enforcement action even when a parent is not behind in payments. When an employer is known, DCS issues a payroll deduction notice. When there is a past […]
Child Support Modification
Family Law: Child Support Modification The Order of Child Support can be adjusted through a child support modification procedure if there has been a substantial change in the circumstances of the parents or the child. Some examples include when one or both parents’ income has substantially increased or decreased; if the child now spends a […]
Income of a Self Employed Person
When one party is either self employed or has an ownership interest in a business, there are two issues that typically arise in a divorce case. The first is the parties actual income for child support and spousal maintenance purposes, and the second is the value of the business interest for property division purposes. Frequently […]
Paternity in Washington
Family Law: Paternity in Washington When a child’s parents’ are not married, an action to establish paternity can be initiated by a Court proceeding under the Uniform Parentage Act. An action to establish parentage may be initiated by the State of Washington, through the prosecuting attorney, or by a private party. The Court will also […]
Post Secondary Support
Many people are unaware of the concept of continuing child support beyond a child’s eighteenth birthday, graduation from high school, or otherwise requiring the parents to contribute to the child’s college education. While a court cannot order a married couple to pay for their children’s college education, in Washington they can order a divorced couple […]
When Does Child Support End?
Family Law: When Does Child Support End in Washington? When does child support end? Child Support is an obligation one parent has to pay the other to support their children. In an initial Decree, the court is to enter an Order of Child Support for any child dependent upon the parents. Support can continue beyond […]