Pennsylvania children have the right to receive financial support from both their mothers and their fathers. Depending on the nature of the child custody arrangements, if a parent has primary custody of the children, the parent will not be required to pay money to the other parent to support the children because he or she will already be spending a great deal on their support. However, the non-custodial parent will be required to pay the other parent money for the children’s support.
The amount of money to be paid by the non-custodial parent is called child support and according to Pennsylvania law, this child support must be paid or the non-custodial parent will face harsh legal consequences. The exact monetary amount of the non-custodial parent’s monthly obligation to the other parent, on the other hand, is a matter subject to debate. Generally, the non-custodial parent will try to seek a lower child support obligation while the custodial parent will try to receive as much money as possible.
Many a legal battle has been waged in Pennsylvania court over the amount of child support owed in a particular case. Indeed, we have all seen celebrities’ child support battles drag on through the court system. Fortunately, though, in most cases, determining the amount of child support that a parent owes is a fairly straightforward process when following the clear guidelines provided in Pennsylvania law.
Pennsylvania parents who want insight into their child support proceedings may wish to speak to an experienced attorney about their unique situations to determine how much child support they are likely to receive and/or be required to pay in their cases.
