The law has long recognized the duty of parents to provide support for their children. We work hard to obtain the support your children need and deserve. In Pascagoula, child support may be ordered as a part of a divorce, annulment, separate maintenance proceeding, paternity proceedings, or via an independent action brought by an unmarried spouse.
Generally, child support is payable by the non-custodial parent to the custodial parent on behalf of the child. Mississippi courts generally adhere to the statutory guidelines when determining child support payments, but are not necessarily bound by them. The guidelines specify that a non-custodial parent should pay the following percentages of their adjusted gross income for child support: 14% for one child, 20% for two children, 22% for three children, 24% for four children, and 26% for five or more children. The statutory guidelines are presumed correct for individuals with an adjusted gross income between $5,000 and $50,000. For persons earning outside that range, the court must make specific findings of fact to support its award. Also, a court may deviate from the support guidelines based on the following factors. (1) A child’s extraordinary medical, psychological, dental, or education expenses, (2) other special needs of the child, (3) shared parenting arrangements, (4) the age of the child, (5) independent income of the child, (6) spousal and child support paid to the custodial parent, (7) total available assets of the parents and children, (8) seasonal variation in income or expenses of one or both spouse, and (9) any other factor needed to achieve an equitable support obligation. Our skilled Pascagoula child support lawyers can help you and your family.