27 Dec What If My Spouse Quits His Job To Avoid Paying Child Support?
If your spouse has intentionally and voluntarily reduced his income to manipulate his child support payments, the judge will be put to work.
The judge assigned to your case must do some investigating to see if in fact, your spouse is trying to manipulate the system. Many people, when given their order to pay child support, find it in their own minds, that it is just too much for them to pay. Even in spite of the fact that the judge has spent a lot of time and effort coming up with a number that is fair in regards to the income.
Should the judge find that the spouse, has in fact intentionally and voluntarily reduced their income, the judge can do what is called, “imputing” their income. What imputing income means is that the court treats the parent’s income as if it was more than what the parent is actually earning.
Before doing so, the court will consider the following:
- The intent for the voluntary underemployment.
- What the employment status and earning capability of that parent would have been if the family had remained intact.
- The availability of other assets that may be used to pay support.
- The ages of children in the parent’s household and child care alternatives. If a parent is caring for very young children, the court may consider that in deciding not to impute income to that parent.
This whole situation can become quite ugly very quickly. It is complicated and confusing and you are so intimately involved in the situation, that it becomes extremely stressful.
Consultation with Child Support Attorney Jeffrey M. Bloom
Should you find yourself in a situation where you feel your spouse is manipulating the child support system, contact a well-respected, experienced Marriage And Family Attorney such as Jeffrey M. Bloom. With their experience and expertise they can help you get to the bottom of the problem and assist in its fruition as soon as possible. It is always unfortunate and upsetting when the children and their future are on the line.
