Fair Support for Your Family
Support obligations affect your financial stability and your children’s quality of life, so it is critical to get them right. At Zunder and Associates, PC, our Butler County family law attorneys help clients on both sides of support matters, whether you are seeking support for your children or a fair spousal award, or responding to a support claim.
Child Support in Pennsylvania
Every parent has a financial duty to support their children. Pennsylvania uses specific guidelines to determine basic child support obligations, based largely on the incomes of both parents and the amount of time the child spends with each. In general, support continues until the child reaches age 18 or graduates high school, whichever occurs later. However, additional expenses such as child care, health insurance, and medical costs may also be a factor.
As part of your divorce or legal separation, we ensure you understand exactly what the child support terms will be and how they relate to the custodial arrangement. If your circumstances change, we can also help you seek a modification so your order reflects your current reality.
Spousal Support and Alimony
Pennsylvania recognizes several forms of support between spouses. Spousal support and alimony pendente lite may be available while a divorce is pending, and alimony may be awarded after the divorce is finalized. When deciding on a divorce, courts consider factors such as how long the marriage lasted, how much each person earned and could earn, how they lived together, and what each person contributed. Whether you may be required to pay support or you are entitled to receive it, we advocate for an outcome that is fair and grounded in the facts of your case.
Modifications and Enforcement
Support orders are not always final. A loss of income, a new job, retirement, or a change in custody can justify revisiting an existing order. If your former spouse is not paying court-ordered support, we can pursue enforcement and take action to hold them accountable. On either side, our goal is to keep your order accurate and enforceable so it continues to serve its purpose.
Why Accurate Income Matters
Support calculations are only as reliable as the financial information behind them. When a parent or spouse is self-employed, paid in cash, or otherwise able to obscure their true earnings, the guideline result can be badly distorted. We know how to examine income documentation, question inconsistencies, and, where appropriate, ask the court to consider earning capacity rather than reported income alone. Getting this right at the outset protects you from years of an unfair order. It also reduces the likelihood of repeated disputes down the road, because an order grounded in accurate numbers is far easier to enforce and far harder to challenge.
Talk to a Butler County Support Lawyer
Support issues are too important to leave to guesswork. Contact us to discuss your child support or spousal support matter with an experienced Butler County family law attorney.