This is the first post in a series meant to help Las Vegas parents understand how child support laws work in Nevada. Child support is often a contentious issue between parties in a divorce or child custody case. It is common for one person to believe that they are paying to high of a child support amount while the payee thinks the paying person is getting away with an amount that is too low. While the calculation of child support in our state may seem straight forward, there are several issues regarding child support of which Clark County residents should be aware.
I will be addressing several issues during this series. Some of the topics I will discuss include:
- How child support is calculated in Nevada
- The types of factors that may make a Las Vegas Family Court Judge vary from the typical child support formula
- How a Court’s child support award factors into awards of spousal support
- Other factors that may lead to support being adjusted upwards or downwards
- How Clark County Courts deal with the non-payment of child support
- Your options when the other parent is not paying their child support
- How to defend yourself against accusations of unpaid support
It is important to understand that you are required to follow the Court’s most recent child support order. If your income or the income of the other parent has changed, and you feel you are entitled to a child support adjustment, then you must obtain a new child support order for the adjustment to be effective. In other words, even if one should be paying more or less child support, they are not required to do so unless ordered to by a Judge.
One common mistake that parents make is that they see child support and custody as tied together. Mothers of children, for example, often believe they can withhold child visitation because the father is not paying support. The Court sees these two issues as separate and, under Nevada law, one may not withhold child visitation simply because the other parent is not paying support.
If you are involved in any type of child support dispute then contact our Las Vegas child support attorneys today.