Child support orders help to ensure that one parent isn’t having to pay for the entire expense of raising a kid. These payments provide financial assistance for the parent who has the child the majority of the time and is meant help with necessary bills, such as ones for shelter, food and utilities.
During a divorce, a two-income home is split into two single-income homes. Even if one parent didn’t work, they were home to provide childcare. Chances are good that the parent who has custody of the children will have to pay for childcare while they work. This is an added expense at a time when their income has decreased.
Children reap the benefits
Child support’s main benefit is that it provides children with the stability that they need to flourish. It gives them the support of both parents, even if they don’t fully realize it. Since the duty to take care of the child-related expenses doesn’t fall on only one parent, that adult might feel less stress. This can lead to them parenting better since they might be calmer due to lack of monetary pressure.
In some cases, child support also gives the children a chance to participate in extracurricular activities that wouldn’t be possible if the single parent was left footing the bill for everything. The children might find new friends and become more well rounded with the inclusion of those opportunities.
Money can be comingled
The money that is paid for child support can be comingled with other household money. The parent who receives it can use it to pay anything that has to do with the children, including paying bills on mutually shared assets or services, such as the mortgage or utilities. The important thing is that the children need to have life’s necessities.
If there comes a time that the paying parent feels that the children aren’t being cared for, they might need to question where the child support is going. It may end up going before the court to determine what needs to happen, but the decision of the court will hinge on how the children are being cared for. It is unlikely that anything will be done if they aren’t being neglected.
When the child support order issued, both parents must know what it says. This ensures they can both do their part because failing to comply can harm the children and may lead to legal issues in California.