In New Jersey and everywhere for that matter, when it comes to paying child support, there can be a number of issues that arise. There is a lot of press given to ‘deadbeat dads,’ but there can be legitimate reasons why the non-custodial parent falls behind on payments. In addition to paying child support, non-custodial parents can also be required to pay other expenses in part or in full. It can feel overwhelming to the non-custodial parent who may love the child but be struggling to manage it all.
The other side of that is the custodial parent who may be struggling to make ends meet and needs the child support payments and other financial support for the child. Both sides can feel overwhelmed and even angry over late payments, non-payments and what is viewed as too little or too much child support. A modification can be requested in order to help adjust child support payment amounts due to changing circumstances. But, what about those parents who have other issues getting in the way?
Enter SupportPay, an innovative product designed to help both non-custodial and custodial parents better manage the financial arrangements involving their children. The system has reminders and tracking for expenses such as education and medical that can make both parents feel more involved and help with transparency between them. There are both free and paid options for the software, which is good news for the estimated 39 million divorced couples in North America.
When negotiating child support in New Jersey, a number of creative approaches can be taken to help both sides act in fairness and with the best interests of the child in mind. A system that helps increase transparency, accountability and involvement could be one option used by couples who want the best for their children. A family law attorney can explain the legal options and offer advice to those who wish to keep the situation amicable and with the child’s best interest in mind.
Source: TechCrunch, “Making Child Support Easier, SupportPay Raises $1.1 Million,” Jonathan Shieber, May 2, 2014