One common query that our family law lawyers receive is how someone's income affects the child support they pay.
A person paying child support has a positive obligation to make sure that they are paying in accordance with their income. This means that if your income increases, the amount of child support that you're paying should rise accordingly.
Part of the reason why this positive obligation exists is that the person paying child support is also the individual with the best information about their own income. You do your own income taxes—or at least look at them—so you're the one who knows what you earned last year and whether or not child support is currently being paid in the appropriate amount.
You can determine whether or not you are paying the correct amount of child support using the child support guidelines. This is a system that is used nationwide to help people determine the amount of child support payable. This cost is based on income, the number of children someone has, and the province or territory they reside in.
If your income goes up and you don't increase the amount of child support that you're paying, you are at risk of being asked to pay retroactively the additional child support you should have paid for that period.
If you neglect to pay your child support contributions for long enough, the expense can add up. This can result in incurring significant debt that might result in a payment obligation that persists indefinitely. There are cases where people seek payment of retroactive child support even after children have reached the age of majority and are no longer receiving child support.
It is always important to consider your income and to stay up-to-date on your child support obligations to protect yourself from being hit with a retroactive child support order in the future.
If you are interested in learning more about how your income affects your child support, we highly recommend reaching out to our team of distinguished family law lawyers.
Missing child support or paying an inadequate amount can bear negative consequences. Protect yourself and your finances by reaching out to our team of expert family law lawyers. Contact us today.
