In the event of a divorce between two parents, the welfare of the children is a predominant concern for the court. One of the issues that must be decided in these situations is the custody of the children, or who they will live with. The other issue is child support; the financial support that is required to raise and care for these children.

When matters like child support are being decided, it helps to have an experience Irvine family law attorney at work on the case. Decisions of child support often follow a complex formula that will take into consideration the parent that the child lives with and the parent with the highest income level. If that person is self-employed, determining income and child support amounts can be even more complicated. A competent lawyer can help parents wade through the complex formulas and guidelines to come to a child support amount that everyone can agree on.

When agreements don't happen easily, an Irvine family law attorney will work for the interests of the children and custodial parent to ensure a fair amount of child support will be paid. By the same token, the non-custodial parent often needs a lawyer in his corner to ensure that the payment required is fair and affordable. If circumstances in that parent's life change and child support payments cannot be made, that same lawyer can file for a modification to the agreement to take this change into consideration.

Once an agreement is reached, the custodial parent will be counting on the fact that payments will be made on time and in full every month. If the checks do not come in a timely fashion, an experienced Irvine family law attorney can file the proper paperwork with the court to ensure that payments begin again or back payments are made with the appropriate interest charges included. In California, the rate on late child support payments is 10%, and there is no statute of limitations on that money. A competent lawyer will make sure those payments are resumed quickly and correctly.

In some cases, the court will work to set up a system where child support payments are taken directly from the non-custodial parent's paycheck. This will ensure that payments are sent on time, every time. If payments still become delinquent, there are other measures that an attorney can take to ensure payments resume as soon as possible. These might include seizing assets like property or withholding the amount out of a tax refund. The key in collecting this money will be to find an experienced Irvine family law attorney who is able to work through the system to get the necessary compensation to those who need it most.

Child support can be a sticky issue in the divorce proceedings. The good news is that the law protects both parties in this situation to ensure a fair deal. Whether you are trying to collect child support payments from a reluctant spouse or needing to modify the support agreement in any way, an experienced Irvine family law attorney can ensure the moves swiftly and smoothly.