Child Custody and Child Support can be an incredibly complicated process. Because of this, a lot of questions can arise from anyone actively going through the process or beginning the process. One of these questions, which this blog will go over, is “Do I need to file for divorce to get child support?” The short answer to that question is that, if you are married, you will most likely need to file for divorce to get child support or determine any child custody matters. However, it does depend on each individual situation and the State will sometimes seek child support on a parent’s behalf.
As mentioned above, if you are married, child custody matters do tend to be wrapped up in the divorce proceedings. This means that once you file the Petition for Dissolution of Marriage, to begin your divorce process, then the child custody process will begin as well. This process includes everything having to do with your children, including child support.
If you are not married, then your child custody process will look slightly different. This process will not begin with the Petition for the Dissolution of Marriage. Rather, you will file a Petition for Allocation of Parental responsibilities to kick start the custody determination process. This process will also include the calculation of child custody.
As always, the best way to begin the child custody process is to hire an attorney. An attorney knows the child custody process, whether you are married or not, intimately and will be able to guide you through all the paperwork necessary to be collected and filed. Here at Divorce Matters, we also schedule an initial consultation, which will allow you to ask any general questions you may have about the process before you hire your attorney. To schedule an initial consultation, call us at (720) 542-6142 or you can send us a message through our website.
