Child Support in High-Asset Divorces

 Posted on November 21,2014 in Child Support

When married parents are going through a high-asset divorce, two issues that need to be decided are child custody and support. Depending on what the parties agree to, and/or what the court decides, the parent who typically has less physical time with the child will be responsible for paying child support.

The purpose of child support is to ensure that both parents are contributing to the financial care and cost of raising the child. Unfortunately, and all too common, the parent who is ordered to pay the child support does not see it that way, but instead sees it as money he or she is paying to their ex-spouse. For various reasons, the paying parent does not, or will not, accept that it is their duty as a parent to contribute to the child's financial needs.

Often in these situations, the paying parent will skip payments, make partial payments, or cease paying child support payments entirely. Deadbeat parents who do not make child support payments come from all financial backgrounds, including those with high assets.

There are legal options a custodial parent has if he or she is not receiving child support payments as ordered by the courts. In Texas, it is the State Attorney General's Office which can assist in the collection of child support. If a parent refuses to pay child support, he or she can be held in contempt and face up to six months in jail for failing to pay. The Attorney General Office takes the crime of failing to pay child support very seriously. Just recently, the Child Support Division, in conjunction with law enforcement officials from Tarrant County, arrested 22 parents who owed back child support in a sweep of the entire county. The bond these parents were required to pay for release will go to the parents who are owed the child support.

If you are considering a divorce which will involve complex litigation and child custody issues, contact an aggressive Austin high-asset divorce attorney to ensure your best interests, and those of your children, are protected.