The Costs of Parenthood
Raising a child is expensive. Both parents share a duty to financially provide for their child, regardless of custody or parental rights. Likewise, every child has a right to financial support from his or her parents. While the court will consider many factors when making a decision on custody, income alone won’t prevent a parent from getting custody of his or her child.
Income and Its Influence
Being responsible for the care and custody of your child can result in significant expenses. Courts often order the non-custodial parent to pay child support. Child support helps the custodial parent meet these expenses. Your income will affect your child support obligation, but it won’t be a deciding factor in a custody action. The court will make a decision on custody that is in the best interests of the child. Typically, this means the parent that is best able to take care of the child’s needs is a good candidate for custody. In some cases, both parents can do this. In others, one parent may not be able to meet all the child’s needs because of work, distance, or other barriers to involved parenting. True, having a low income can make it difficult to meet your child’s needs, but in most cases such as these the other parent may be ordered to pay child support to help you meet those needs. Child support is the right of every child because these needs are so important.
What Does Affect Custody?
Income alone won’t prevent you from getting custody of your child. Other factors matter more, such as who can best meet the child’s emotional and psychological needs. Custody is ultimately decided based on what would be in the best interests of the child. As long as the court doesn’t find you are an unfit parent, you may still get custody even if you have a low income. If you have questions or concerns about custody and how your income may affect your case, consult with a New Jersey attorney with experience handling custody cases. A good custody attorney will know what factors may affect the court’s custody decision and help defend your rights as a parent.
If you have questions about New Jersey custody, Williams Law Group, LLC is here to help. The experienced attorneys at Williams Law Group, LLC can help you with your custody matter, making sure your child’s best interests are protected. Located in Union, New Jersey, Williams Law Group, LLC provides compassionate and dedicated legal services to Union, Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Morris, Monmouth, and Middlesex counties, and the surrounding areas. Our knowledgeable attorneys handle divorce and family law, child custody, and child abuse/neglect cases. Call our office at (908) 810-1083, email us at info@awilliamslawgroup.com, or contact us through our confidential online form to schedule a consultation and ultimately get you connected with an experienced New Jersey divorce and child custody attorney.
