My co-parent filed for child support, falsely claimed my parenting time, and now threatens to reduce it to every other weekend despite me having our daughter 50% of the time (Sunday to Wednesday).
The paperwork to respond gives me the option to disagree with the proposed amount. What should I say? We don’t have an official custody plan yet. Should I file for custody now? If so, should I mention it in my response? Also, they already have my income information from my employer.
Do I need to fill out the income sheet again? Any advice would be appreciated.
You definitely should consider getting a lawyer to help navigate this. It’s a complex situation, and without proper guidance, you could end up in a tough spot and end up spending a lot more than you would on legal fees.
If there’s no custody order yet, you should file a motion to establish one. Then, when responding to the child support motion, explain that there’s no custody order in place and request a delay until the custody arrangement is sorted out.
In California, child support obligations are determined based on each parent’s income, the amount of time each parent spends with the child, and other relevant factors like health care and childcare costs. Custody arrangements are decided based on the child’s best interests, considering factors such as the child’s age, health, and educational needs, and the parents’ ability to care for the child.