When it comes to filing for child support in Maryland, there are a few key things to keep in mind. Whether you are the current or former beneficiary of temporary cash assistance or medical assistance, you may not be required to pay the application fee. You can mail your request to your local child support office or apply in person, but you must file your child support complaint in the state and county (including the city of Baltimore) where your child is residing. A person has only one address. It's important to note that a child's home is the place of the child's true, fixed and permanent home.
Maryland law requires continued child support payments for children who turn 18 while still enrolled in high school. If there is a paternity dispute, the mother can go to the local child support agency, represent herself, or seek private counsel. The role of the lawyer is to represent the Agency in obtaining a maintenance obligation that works for the benefit of the child. You can prevent child support from becoming a controversial issue and avoid the legal expenses of litigating this issue in court by agreeing on an appropriate amount of child support. Once a valid child support order is issued, that state still has the power to grant child support even if it no longer has contact with the parent or children who support it.
When parents are not living together, alimony can be established to ensure that the child's financial needs are met. The Child Support Administration (CSA) has an online calculator that will calculate the amount of child support the court can approve based on current guidelines. There is also a new formula for calculating child support obligations when a parent with shared physical custody keeps the child or children overnight for more than 25% but less than 30% of the year. To do this, both parents can agree on the appropriate amount of child support and include this agreement in a marital separation agreement. For a court to have jurisdiction or legal authority to compel a parent to pay alimony, it must have personal jurisdiction over the parent. Like custody, the amount of support can be decided through an agreement or through a lawsuit before a judge. Therefore, a parent who does not receive alimony can use any and all available legal instruments to enforce the order, including wage garnishments, the assignment of wages, the disregard of court orders, and the seizure of the property of the parent who does not pay by means of a writ of execution. Since 1990, Maryland has had child support guidelines, which provide a formula for calculating child support based on a proportion of each parent's gross income.
In addition, if a child has reached the age of majority but is unable to support himself due to mental or physical illness, parents have a duty to provide the indigent adult child with food, shelter, care, and clothing. For example, if the non-custodial parent pays alimony from a previous marriage (something quite common), the court will have take into account that obligation. If you make child support payments, you can't deduct those payments from your income when you file your taxes.
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