Child Support | Seattle Divorce Services

Can Child Support be Retroactive in Washington State?

One of the most common questions we receive when parents are divorcing is whether the court will require payment of retroactive or “back” child support. This question often arises in situations where the parents have been separated for a significant period of time prior to beginning divorce or custo...

How is Child Support Calculated When We Have Equal Parenting?

When parents used to divorce, the typical arrangement used to be that one parent (typically the mother) would be awarded primary custody of the children while the other parent would have visitation rights. The parent with visitation rights would then pay child support to the parent with pr...

Father with his children - shared custody vs single parenting - by Seattle Divorce Services

Shared Custody: Children’s Right and Parents’ Duty

Around half of all U.S. children experience the divorce of their parents; and nearly half of those children also witness the termination of a parent’s second marriage. This means that divorce will affect half of America’s future decision makers; and the responsibility falls on parents and courts...

Alternative Child Support

Washington has established child support guidelines for how child support is to be calculated by the courts. The courts have the ability to deviate from the guidelines but have an obligation to ensure that the deviated support still meets the needs of the children. The ability to deviate actually...

Can We Reach Our Own Agreements?

I am often asked whether a couple can reach their own agreements, or whether a Washington State court is going to refuse the accept those agreements and substitute its own decisions. As a general rule, a couple is able to make their own agreements as to things that are just between them. I have neve...

What is Imputed Income?

In Washington State, income may be imputed to a parent for purposes of calculating child support if the parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed (i.e. does not have actual full time income)....

What Is My Income?

In the divorce cases we do, our attorneys often hear various forms of this question - how is my income calculated? This is usually in terms of figuring out child support and spousal support/maintenance obligations....

How do Child Support Orders Work?

If children are involved in a divorce, financial care of a child or children is one of the most important matters to resolve. In Washington State, each parent pays a proportional share of the support of the children. That share of the estimated cost of raising the children is based on each parent's...

Private School Tuition as Child Support

Mark Alexander of our firm recently answered a question about child support and private school tuition: First, the obligation to pay for private school tuition is a child support obligation, although private school tuition is usually NOT ordered unless there is a history of the child previously a...

What Happens to Child Support When a Parent is Unemployed?

The economy has been a sustained downturn, and even though it has made small gains, it's often been called a "jobless recovery." So it's not uncommon for a parent who has a child support obligation to feel the pinch after losing a job or having their hours cut back. So what can a parent who is ow...