St. Louis Child Support & Maintenance Lawyers
Child Support and Maintenance According to Missouri Law
Often those seeking divorce will ask us "Will I have to pay (or receive) child support and alimony?" And "How much?" Unfortunately, there is no easy answer as it can vary depending upon the particular circumstances of your situation. As family law attorneys who focus on divorce related issues, we can help you in the determinations of how much you will need to pay, or how much you might expect to receive.
We are Growe Eisen Karlen, family law attorneys located in St. Louis, Missouri. We represent either spouse in divorce proceedings — husband or wife, payor or payee. Missouri child support and maintenance calculations are complicated. We have experience working out solutions. When situations change, we can help you obtain a support modification. We also have experience with support enforcement procedures.
Child Support Payment Considerations
Missouri law has child support guidelines which are a dollar figure rather than a percentage figure. The law considers the following six factors:
- The financial needs and resources of the child
- The financial needs and resources of each parent
- The child's standard of living
- The child's physical and emotional state and educational needs
- The child custody arrangements, including visitation agreements
- Reasonable work-related child care expenses of each parent
Child support must be paid until age 18, or age 21 if the child is a full-time student, or until the child dies, marries, joins the armed services or becomes self-supporting. When you come to our law firm for help, we will help you determine the appropriate child support amount based on your financial situation and that of your spouse.
Spousal Maintenance (Formerly known as "Alimony") in Missouri
Like child support, spousal maintenance is based on certain factors and is not a figure that is set in stone. At our law firm we have represented both husbands and wives, payor or the payee.
Missouri law considers the following factors for the potential payer and payee:
- The payee's financial resources and ability to meet his or her needs independently
- The time it would take the payee for education or training to become self-supporting
- The current earning ability for each spouse
- The standard of living during the marriage
- Marital debts and assets and how they are divided
- The length of the marriage
- The age and condition of the payee spouse
- The ability of the payer to meet his or her own needs while paying the former spouse
- Conduct or misconduct during the marriage
- Other relevant factors
An Approach Suited to Your Goals
As you can see, support calculations are not simple matters. Each situation is different. We tailor our approach to each individual client and are comfortable being either negotiation minded or aggressively litigious. Our approach to child support and spousal maintenance agreements will suit your goals and needs, not someone else's.
You may either call our St. Louis, Missouri, office at 866-967-9641, or send us an e-mail to schedule an appointment with one of our lawyers.
