Child Support

When considering child custody arrangements, one common area of dispute is the amount of support that one parent may owe to another. This is a sensitive topic that may flare pre-existing tensions in a relationship and cause animosity between the separating spouses. At Reddin & Singer, our family law attorneys understand the importance of bringing a firm, yet understanding, approach to child support negotiations in the Milwaukee area. We will work to find an agreement that is satisfactory for both parties, but we will also fight for your rights when negotiation proves difficult.

The state of Wisconsin attempts to make child support determinations as easy as possible. In Wisconsin, parents with less than 50 percent custody over a child will typically be required to make payments to the primary custodial parent. These payments are determined by set percentage guidelines that vary depending on the number of children in custody. For instance, for one child, a parent will owe 17 percent of his or her income in child support. For two children, this rises to 25 percent and for three children, 29 percent. This is the starting point for child support determinations.

If a parent is a low-income earner, making less than $1,350 a month, he or she is entitled to pay according to a separate low-income percentage table that lowers the amount of income owed. Likewise, a parent who makes more than $7,000 a month may owe more than the standard percentage according to a high-income percentage table.

These percentages are not written in stone and will often be adjusted slightly by the court depending on their overall reasonableness and factors such as special needs of the child, health care requirements, and any other issue the court deems reasonable. If a parent feels that the child support payment he or she is expected to pay is unfair, this may be contested in court during the child support process, and the evidence on both sides will be weighed by the judge.

If you are not receiving the child support you deserve from your former spouse, it is very important that you hire a qualified attorney immediately. With the help of a lawyer, you can file an enforcement action in Wisconsin court that asks the judge to force the delinquent parent to make his or her required payments. The judge has many options available in forcing a person to comply, including revoking a driver’s license, garnishing wages for payment, or placing the delinquent parent in jail for contempt and conditioning his or her release on the payment of outstanding child support. The state of Wisconsin also has a special unit within the Department of Children and Families that specializes in ensuring payments. It can assist in locating parents who have failed to pay their required child support and determining how to obtain the money from the delinquent person’s employer or other sources of income.

If you are a divorced parent struggling with the daily realities of raising your children on your own, the last thing that you want to worry about is ensuring that you receive the support payments that you are entitled to. At Reddin & Singer, our divorce lawyer, Terese Singer, has over two decades of experience representing Milwaukee parents in child support negotiations and enforcement actions. For help with these critical concerns, contact us at (414) 271-6400 or through our online form.