What is the Best Way to Beat Child Support?
March 02, 2017
By: Christopher A. Pearsall, RI Divorce & Family Law Lawyer*
QUESTION:
What is the best way to beat child support?
ANSWER:
There is no good way to beat child support. I agree with Attorney Andy Chen on Quora.com. I have seen many people try to “beat” child support ( by which I assume you mean that the person avoids having to pay child support without consequences). It never ends up well for that person.
Failure or refusing to pay child support often has many direct and indirect consequences, such as accruing interest at an exorbitant rate that keeps compounding, loss of your driver’s license, damage to your credit rating which prevents house purchases, car purchases, or even small personal loans, possible imprisonment, possible loss of your job, vengeful behavior from the child’s other parent or even from the child later in life.
People who try to beat child support NEVER end out better for it.
I understand that sometimes money is tight. I also understand that some people feel they have good reasons for trying to avoid or beat child support. However, in the end I have to wonder why someone would try to “beat” child support so they don’t have to pay anything.
Whatever the reason, if a person is the actual biological parent of a child then there is a legal, practical, and to many a moral obligation to help support a minor child. Minor children typically aren’t able to support themselves financially, which includes putting a roof over the child’s head with heat and electricity, food for the child to eat, clothing for the child to wear, etc…
It is important regardless of whether I am a lawyer or not that if we have played a role in procreating or adopting a child that each of us take personal responsibility for that role and help provide the basic necessities for the child. If any of us as people are not prepared to do that under any circumstances, then we should not perform the acts that result in procreation or adoption until we are prepared to undertake that responsibility and realize that it continues at least until the minor child is emancipated.
Remember, that opposing an increase in child support for justifiable reasons is not trying to “beat child support”, it is merely balancing the needs of both the parents and the child. In some cases, there are justifications before the court for temporarily or in the rare occasion permanently terminating child support to a minor child. However, trying to “beat” child support for a minor child you helped bring into the world for the sake of simply avoiding your obligation as a biological parent is neither a reasonable nor acceptable position. If this is the reason for your question, then the counter questions to you would be
- What do YOU mean by “BEAT” child support?
- What are your justifications (often confused with reasons or explanations which are not the same) for trying to “beat” child support.
In any event, unless you have viable legal justifications that can be argued before the court regarding child support, then it is never a good idea simply to try to find practical ways to “beat” child support. In the long run it never pays to try to “beat” child support.
It is always best to sit down for an advice session with a competent and experienced family law attorney in the state in which you have your issue before taking any kind of action.
For people within the State of Rhode Island, feel free to call me to set up your comprehensive low-cost flat fee legal advice session. Know what your options are before you act.
Call today and be on your way to getting the answer you need! (401) 632-6976