If you find yourself in a situation where you need to file for child custody and/or child support in San Diego County, it can feel very overwhelming. Especially, if there was never a marriage and so the typical path, divorce, is not available to you. When there was not a marriage present, it can seem as though there is no “path” for you to take. We are happy to explain the right path to take what to do when it comes to calculating and filing child support.
First, for those who have never been married but have kiddos. Often, these are the folks who come to us after several years have gone by in which the parents have tried to figure it out on their own. Sometimes this works out just fine, and other times, it is a ticking time bomb. Because there was never a marriage, the parent who did NOT give birth to the child is NOT a presumed parent (the way it is when you are married), and therefore, has no rights over the child until a paternity action has been filed with the court. This sounds more intense than it is. So long as both parties agree to file such an action, it is merely the non-birthing parent stating that YES, they are the other parent and are the other individual responsible for this child. Until such an action is filed, the non-birthing parent has no legal rights to the child. Which can be concerning for that parent. It can also be concerning to the parent who may need some financial support to help with the kiddos (those little boogers can get expensive!)
How to Resolve Issues Regarding Child Support in San Diego
The easiest and most effective way to get these issues resolved and to get child support started is to contact your local mediator at San Diego Family Mediation Center. Not only will we run support calculations for you, but we can also help discuss your current parenting plan; what is working and what may need to be changed. We can also help explain what information is entered into the calculator when coming up with support and we can help with all of your filing needs.
How to Modify Child Support in San Diego
For those who have already gone through a divorce and need to modify child support, we offer the same services to you too. We can discuss the current parenting time and child support and help determine if there is a need to modify anything. Also, don’t forget if you are a former SDFMC divorce client, we include annual revised calculations for no extra charge. So if you are interested in figuring out if there should be a modification to the current support numbers, send in your tax returns once they are filed and we can let you know.
File for Child Support in San Diego
Ready to chat with us regarding child support in San Diego? Contact San Diego Family Mediation Center and make an appointment for a free consultation today.
by: Jennifer Segura
