Determining Child Support in Georgia

Georgia is a dual-income model child support state. This means the law requires the Court to use each parent’s income as a variable in the child support award.

Experienced Lawyers Who Understand the Child Support Process and Guidelines

During the litigation process we must identify and obtain evidence to support your income amount and your spouse’s income amount. Sometimes this can be a difficult endeavor. The Court looks to more than your paycheck to determine the income of each party. Fringe benefits from an employer, gifts from parents, unemployment benefits, and a host of other types of money that assists a party’s household may be combined to yield the income of a party.

Uncovering the Truth in Georgia Child Support Cases

We use discovery tools to ensure the other party’s income is exposed. We subpoena employment records, bank statements, CPA records, credit card statements, checkbooks, and any other documents which will tell the true story of the other party’s income. Sometimes relying exclusively upon the other party to provide evidence of his or her income is not the most accurate way to obtain income evidence. We attempt to have independent evidence of income to best prove the income number.

Utilizing Experts to Get It Right

We work with accountants, forensic accountants, and other financial industry people to assist us in either finding the accurate income of a party or to defend against a claim of income for our client  that is wholly without merit. Many times we deal with clients who own small businesses and their income is not easily ascertainable. Once the documents are provided, we work to obtain a clear income amount by reviewing the finances of the corporation regardless of tax filing information.

Once the income is ascertained, we obtain evidence to support or deflect claims of additional expenses that can be used in calculating child support such as childcare costs, insurance costs, school expense costs, medical costs, etc. We give our clients a child support range depending upon how we believe the judge will use the Child Support Calculator and the evidence presented.

Contact a Cherokee and Cobb County Child Support Attorney

Contact The Mason Law Firm, LLC, via e-mail or call 770-720-7596 to speak to a Canton child custody attorney.