Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
My partner has a 5 year old daughter, her mother has always contemplated letting my partner see his daughter. However for 4 months on-off he sees her each weekend. Then all of a sudden she stops coming down/speaking to him.
My partner calls his daughter daily, and at the moment he is off work. So he asked his daughter to stay for some time as she is off school, however her mother just keeps saying no. Wednesday she rang my partner up and told him he needed to pay child support. However she has never asked for this before because when he sees his daughter he takes her out shopping, playing, and out for tea/breakfast, etc.
However his ex partner has just had a baby with somebody else, her partner is not registered as living with her. She also worked part time, but still received her full benefits and house paid for, along with luxury pets and furniture.
My partner works full time, I work full time and we live in a one bedroom place. His ex partner told him she would ring the police on him, call child support, and social services on him because he refuses to pay the money. Considering it is now a month since seeing his daughter. I do understand that she is 5 and with a new baby in the household she could feel jealous over attention.
To the point, will his ex's benefits stop, should we tell the authority that she and her partner both work cash in hand and still receive all benefits full?
Also what happens to my partner, he does not want all his wages going to his ex when he doesn't even see his daughter?
Thanks.
By AMB
Your boyfriend should be paying child support that he can afford on a weekly or monthly basis. If he is reluctant to do so, his ex can go to court and the court will order him to pay child support. This will be more than the amount he would voluntarily pay and they can garnish his wages if he doesn't pay it.
As far as visitation is concerned, as long as he isn't doing anything dangerous or illegal, he can get visitation. He will have to go to family court and request it. Keep in mind that if he does request visitation, his ex will certainly request court-ordered child support. But then again, she can do that anytime.
As far as the ex's financial situation is concerned, I assure you that if you went to the "authorities" with this information they would escort you right back out the door. They are way too busy to get involved with unprovable accusations.
How do you know your partner's ex and her partner get paid in cash and get benefits? If you know this for sure you have your nose where it doesn't belong. Are you sure the little girl isn't playing the parents against each other and that is why the kid doesn't always see her Dad.
Also I have heard of judges that tell the step parents their opinion about step kids don't count and they should keep their nose out of it. Then there are the alleged step parents that are only playing house with the parent, which apparently is what you are doing, judges have been known to tell these people not to refer to themselves as step parents because that only applies to married people. As long as the ex's significant other isn't living in the house his income doesn't count other than providing support for the new baby. The same applies to you, when it comes to child support, your income wouldn't be counted. Even if you and the father were married, your income wouldn't be counted for child support.
As an old saying goes - there are usually two sides to every story (and sometimes 3 or 4?). You do not say where you live - even USA or another country - so it is difficult to offer suggestions as rules/laws about this sort of thing are different everywhere - even in different states in the US.
Most Everyone on Thrifty will agree that the father should be paying some type of child support. It appears from your remarks that your partner and the mother of his child were never married? That sort-of explains why there is no agreement on support and visitation. This does not negate his obligation/responsibility to support the child but it does make a lot of difference as to the legal aspect of someone making him pay.
Since we have no information about where you live - your partner should decide how he wishes to handle this as getting legal advice seems the only way to resolve something like this.
Just bear in mind that when a legal resolution is started - everything about your partner's financial situation as well as the mother's will have to be stated and may be investigated before the court will make a final decision.
I kinda doubt there is anything the mother can do to legally collect the money unless there is some kind of written agreement. But this also means she is in charge of visitation rights also.
It seems it may be a good idea for the two of them (just them) to have a private discussion and try to decide what is fair in their present situation? Maybe no one wishes for the whole "truth" about finances and living conditions to be brought out into the open.
It is good that the father wishes to have visitation rights but support is necessary even if visits are few or never.
I hope that none of these discussions are conducted when the child is around.
Also, I believe most will agree - this whole matter should be decided by the two parents - and - hopefully they will resolve things with the child's best interest in mind.
I was married to a man in 2006. He passed away in 2010 and I am now getting Social Security checks for myself and my 3 children who were his stepchildren. Their biological father is filing his tax return and wants to claim our 2 children because he is $52,000 behind on his child support payments. He is aware that he won't get the money himself when he files his taxes because he is so far behind.
He wants it to go to me so it'll be taken off the back child support. So my question is can I give him permission to claim the 2 children that are ours on his tax return and not get into trouble with the Social Security Administration?By Jewels
You will have to contact your local Social Security Office and if they can't help you, consult an attorney.
That is for ss or an attorney. Don't ask such questions from lay people on sites such as this. It could cost you thousands of dollars if they are wrong.
In order for the child's biological father to be able to claim him on his tax return, he has to be able to PROVE that he contributed at least half or more to the child's care. For example if you have 3 children and yourself living in your home, you can divide the amount of the rent or mortgage, cost of heat, cost of food, cost of clothes, and all other costs by 4. That was the cost of caring for one child for one year.
If the child's father was not contributing monetarily to his care, he cannot count the child as a dependent on his tax return! You should call the IRS to make sure the information I have given to you is correct, but I had a very similar situation once and this is what the IRS told to me! YOU or the deceased stepfather, would be the only people who could claim the children as dependents. And yes dead people have to file taxes for the part of the year they were alive.
Best of luck and warm regards
How do I (father) find out how much child support I owe?
By BM
Wasn't it court ordered? If not contact your local child support enforcement office.
You should be able to call your state or county child support (or family support) department and they will need some information from you: your name, mother's name, kid's name, birth date of child(ren), if you ever were served with court papers, from which court, and any info on that.
Thank you for wanting to find out and (I hope) make good on the support you may owe your child(ren). As a solo parent of 2 teenagers whose paternal unit does not support them at all, I appreciate your efforts!
Yes, MooseMom and Redhatterb are right. You should be able to reach your county's child support enforcement office through your county's Jobs and Family Services (welfare) office. They can also provide you with a toll-free number so you can track whether they've received and processed your payment. The automated system allows you to search by SS number or support order number. If you live in OH, the number is 800-860-2555. The JFS website for OH is jfs.ohio.gov.
Best to you as you seek to support your child(ren.) Wish my own father had felt the same...
I have a friend that receives SSDI and for the past 7 years has had his benifits garnished because of non payment of child support. The question I have is can that really be legal if the children are not yours but your wife's? Now they are divorced and he still is being garnished and he still is paying her debt.
The children were never legally adopted by the step father. Can he get some sort of reimbursement for the money he has had to pay out for the ex-wife's children? They are all grown now and he has paid over 6000 dollars and still owes 6000.Only the SSA can answer your friend's questions. Your friend should make an appointment with SSA and provide any required information for the appointment. He can also appeal the SSA's actions and decisions.
An addition to my first answer-your friend can also discuss his case with an attorney who specializes in SSA matters to learn if he should file an action against SSA.
My ex had custody and was receiving foodstamps and a medical card from jobs and Family Services. My license was taken away for not being able to pay back child support. Unfortunately he passed away 2 weeks ago and the 2 children are living with me. I called the child support office and they are closing his case. My questions are, will they let me get my driver's license reinstated so I can take the children to school and my 2nd question is, even though they're closing the case will I still owe the state for them being on foodstamps and receiving medical cards?
I am low income myself and on SSI and have custody of my 4 yr old autistic grandson who also is disabled and receiving SSI for his disability. We are poor people and I need my license back more than ever, I have no idea how I am going to support all of us and have to pay back child support to the state even though the father has passed.
Your question doesn't make sense.
Assuming the children are under 18. If they're over 18, you pay for nothing for them obviously.
The kids received medical care and foodstamps because their father was low income enough to qualify.
The food card wasn't theirs, it was their father's. Since he's gone, the foodcard would be closed out with his case.
It wouldn't make any sense for you to pay for the kids to get a food card or the same medical care because those were free benefits provided to the father because he couldn't afford them.
You are responsible for the kids now and those benefits will come through you. You'd have to qualify for food stamps and it would be your money, not theirs. The medical would have be applied for under you now.
If you weren't low income, you wouldn't qualify for benefits, and as minors dependent on you, they wouldn't qualify for any either.
