SUPPORT AND MAINTENANCE: EQUITABLE SOLUTIONS FOR CHILD AND SPOUSAL SUPPORT
CHILD SUPPORT
When you and your spouse or partner decides to separate, there are lots of unknowns. If you have children, one of the primary concerns is how to provide for the kids. Both parents want to ensure an equitable solution is found that will allow the children to continue to engage in all those activities they loved to do before their parents decided to go their separate ways.
Getting to the right number sometimes takes some digging. People’s work situations are sometimes complex. When people are self-employed, work on farms or do work “under the table”, it is not going to be enough just to look at line 150 of a tax return to figure out what the appropriate guideline income should be for child support purposes.
At Gunn Law Group, we will work to come up with lasting agreements that address the ability of the payer to pay while ensuring that the children’s needs are being properly met.
SPOUSAL SUPPORT
Of course, the children are not the only ones affected by a separation or divorce. If one spouse has spent more time than the other staying at home, looking after the children or helping to further the other spouse’s career, spousal support is an issue that will likely need to be explored. Entitlement is always the threshold issue to be explored. Was this a short relationship or one that spanned decades? Was there a written agreement before the relationship began about what would happen upon dissolution? Did one party give up opportunities to advance the career of the other?
If there should be spousal support paid from one party to the other, coming up with the appropriate amount is much more akin to an art than a science. The lawyers at Gunn Law Group will approach support and maintenance issues with sensitivity and help to ensure that you and your spouse come to an agreement that is fair for both parties.
