Child Support Lawyer in Leesburg, VA

If you are no longer with your children’s other parent, child support is the tool used to help ensure that your children’s needs will be addressed in relation to your combined financial ability. The State of Virginia requires both parents to continue supporting their children financially, and they employ a careful calculation system to determine child support payments. Discuss your case with an experienced Leesburg child support lawyer at Bristle Schulze today.

Child Support in Leesburg

Virginia uses what is known as an income shares approach to child support. This means that your gross income and your ex’s gross income, as well as the number of children that are addressed by the order, are of primary concern. In addition, however, factors like the amount of time each of you spends with the children and extraordinarily relevant expenses, such as medical costs, are taken into careful consideration.

What Child Support Covers

Child support in Virginia is designed to address children’s basic needs. This includes all the following:

• Putting a roof over your children’s heads
• Feeding your children
• Clothing your children
• Educating your children
• Covering the cost of your children’s health care

Unless specifically addressed in the child support order, expenses related to extras, such as private school or participation in extracurricular activities or travel, are not covered by child support.

Virginia courts do, however, consider relevant add-ons. Prime examples include the cost of the children’s health insurance coverage, the cost of childcare, and the expenses related to any special needs any of the children have.

Child support is generally ordered until the covered child reaches the age of 18 and graduates from high school, whichever comes later. If the covered child reaches the age of 19 prior to graduating from high school, however, the child support requirement will end at the point that the child turns 19.

Basic Calculation Process

The basic calculation process for child support begins with the determination of each parent’s gross income. This includes all income from all sources, including bonuses. The state’s child support table is then used to calculate the amount of child support owed based on the combined gross income and the number of children addressed by the order.

From here, the percentage of the parents’ combined incomes is determined. All relevant adjustments for additional expenses are made at this point, and child support is calculated. Generally, the higher earner makes the child support payments to the other parent, and this holds true even when child custody is split right down the middle. 

It’s Time to Discuss Your Case with an Experienced Leesburg, VA, Child Support Attorney

The knowledgeable Leesburg child support lawyers at Bristle Schulze have reserves of impressive experience successfully protecting our clients’ rights in even the most challenging child support cases, and we are here for you, too. Our compassionate legal team encourages you to reach out for the information you need by either contacting us online or giving our firm a call at 703-454-0701 today.