Tag Archive for: child support

Paternity by Estoppel

A presumption of paternity arises where a child is born into an intact marriage. In that circumstance, absent clear and convincing evidence to the contrary, the husband will be deemed to be the father. However, even in the absence of a biological connection, paternity may be established. Paternity by estoppel acts to impose an obligation on the party who holds themselves out as a father to the child and supports the child to continue to support the child. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has held that the purpose of paternity by estoppel is to keep families intact and protect the best interest of the child by shielding them from claims of illegitimacy and, potentially, a broken family.

In the case of K.E.M. v. P.C.S., 38 A.3d 798 (Pa 2012), Appellant, mother of G.L.M., brought an action for support against Appellee, the alleged father of G.L.M. Appellant was married to H.M.M. at the time G.L.M. was born. Further, H.M.M. had supported the child and acted as a father figure to G.L.M. for most of the child’s life. Appellee filed a motion to dismiss the support action on the basis of a presumption of paternity on the part of H.M.M. and paternity by estoppel. Appellee’s argument that H.M.M. had acted as G.L.M.’s father prompted the lower court and Superior Court to grant his motion to dismiss the support action against him and continue to hold H.M.M. responsible for G.L.M.’s support. In this case, H.M.M. submitted to a paternity test which ruled him out as the father, however, on appeal the court found it was in the child’s best interests to still recognize Apellant’s husband, H.M.M., as the father.

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Child Support

Child support in Pennsylvania is based on statewide guidelines established by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The guidelines are intended to ensure that similarly situated parties are treated similarly. Accordingly, all parties making $3000 per month with 3 kids would pay the same amount of support based on the guideline amounts. The guidelines are based on an “Income Shares Model.” Accordingly, the guideline amount will be based on the combined net monthly income of both parties.

For purposes of support, net income only allows deductions from gross income for taxes, F.I.C.A. payments (i.e. Social Security), non-voluntary retirement payments, mandatory union dues and alimony paid to the other party. Gross income includes all wages, salaries, bonuses, fees, commissions, income from business or property, pension and/or other retirement, income from an estate or trust, Social Security disability or retirement benefits, temporary and permanent disability payments, workers’ compensation, unemployment compensation, alimony payments, and all other entitlements to money or lump sum awards.

The guideline amount looks at the combined monthly net income for both parents and the number of children. The child support award is then determined based on any applicable custody schedule and the proportion of income comprising the guideline amount. Additional expenses can be added in such as health insurance costs, child care costs, summer camp, private school tuition and unreimbursed medical expenses. These expenses will also be split between the parties in proportion to their income.

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Child Support when Custody is Shared

When parties have an equal custodial arrangement, meaning that they share overnights on an equal basis, seven nights in a two week period with one parent and seven nights with the other, there is still the possibility of a child support order. The party who earns more money will be obligated to pay support. If, however, there is a cost for health insurance, this amount will be factored into the guideline calculation. Any cost for daycare or after school expenses will also be factored into the equation. These costs can be significant and can greatly impact who gets paid and what amount. It is a good idea to always get a rough estimate on child support before going to court over these issues.

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No Child Support Responsibility for College Costs in PA

In Pennsylvania, unlike New Jersey, child support terminates when a child reaches age 18 or graduates from high school, whichever is later. The Court has held that there is no obligation for parents to provide for children beyond this time. Even if your child resides with you and does not have a job and instead chooses to go to college, the other parent will have no obligation to pay anything towards college costs. If, however, you negotiate an agreement in writing with the other parent to pay for college costs and the other parent agrees to it in writing, then the Court can enforce that agreement under contract law. Oftentimes, parents who cannot negotiate an agreement for college costs in their divorce assume this means the other parent has no interest in paying or contributing to college costs. This is not always the case. A parent may still intend to assist a child with college costs but by not putting it in writing, they are not legally obligated to do that and instead, can decide if and how much they want to contribute. Also, it is important to decide where the child who attends college will reside as only the income of the parent with whom they reside will be relevant in qualifying for financial aid. If that parent, remarries, however, the stepparent’s income and assets can affect the amount of financial aid available to the child even if they have no legal obligation to support the child.

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File to Modify Support if you are laid off

Whenever there is a change income, whether it is the party receiving child support or the party paying child support, it is that person’s responsibility to file to modify the support order. When someone is suddenly let go from work, even if they qualify for unemployment income, it is often necessary to file to modify support. Even though the wages are attached and the court receives their funds from unemployment, this still does not mean the court is put on notice. You must take initiative and file to modify the order. Even if it is temporary, you should do this in case you are out of work longer than you anticipate. Having to pay a support order based on income you no longer have can be disastrous. In addition, if you have lost health coverage, it is important that you notify the other party as soon as possible. If you are receiving support, likewise, you should file to modify your support order. Support orders are modifiable if either party experiences a change.

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Keeping Medical Records for Support Orders

If you have a charging support order in PA for either child or spousal support, you likely have to pay the first $ 250 in out of pocket medical expenses each year per person before the remainder are allocated based on a percentage. You need to keep good records in order to receive your remainder share. You should create a list per person of all medical bills per person that are received each month and keep a copy of the bill. You will also need to keep a copy of the check or credit card receipt showing that you paid the copay or bill. Once you have reached $ 250 for the year, you should provide the documentation showing that you reached this limit and then start keeping track of all bills that come in for the rest of the year and request the percentage the other side is responsible to pay. You will likely have to front the money and seek reimbursement. In all cases, if payment is not made by March of the following year, you will need to file contempt with the court in your Domestic Relations office and again provide proof of notice and payment. It pays to be organized and you should make this something you do in January of each year.

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Who provides health insurance during/after the Divorce?

When the parties are married, usually, one of the parties carries the health insurance for the parties and any minor children. The Court keeps the status quo as much as possible while the divorce is pending. If you are carrying insurance for your spouse, you cannot drop them until the divorce is final. Health Insurance is an issue that arises in support court through Domestic Relations. As long as health insurance is available at a reasonable cost through work, that parent will be required to provide health insurance for the children.

If both parents are working and both parents have health insurance available for the children through work, then the Court will look at the cost of the plans and the benefits provided to determine which makes more economic sense. If there is a plan that is relatively cheap but provides for a high deductible, this may not be the best plan if the children have routine issues. It is important to not only look at monthly premium, but the deductibles, the special medical needs of the children, the cost of the copays for a doctor visit, specialist visit, etc. in order to determine which plan is better.

Whichever plan is chosen is paid by the parent through their employment and a portion of the cost for the children is reimbursed through the child support order. If you are the parent who provides health insurance and are receiving child support, you will get this portion included in addition to your basic support amount. If you are the parent who provides health insurance and are paying child support, then it will appear as a credit off of the basic child support that you pay.

The party who receives child support will be required to pay the first $ 250 per year per child of unreimbursed, out of pocket medical expenses. Once the $ 250 dollar point is reached, the order will allocate any remaining bills to be shared in proportion to income. It is the responsibility of the parent receiving support to document and provide proof of expenses to the other parent. Failure to pay these expenses can result in a contempt order. If there are significant, routine medical expenses, you can request that they be factored into the basic support.

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Support for Adult Children

A child support obligation typically ends when the minor child is eighteen or graduates high school, whichever is later. However, in certain circumstances the obligation for support may continue past those milestones. One example would be if the child has a disability. Pennsylvania courts have held that the child support guidelines would continue to apply in the instance of a child who, despite age, remains unemancipated or unable to support themselves by virtue of a disability. The court is to determine if an adult child has a mental or physical condition that prevents the child from earning a living wage. Additionally, the court should look to see whether an order of continued support would result in undue hardship on the parents.

In Kotzbauer, 2007 Pa.Super.357 (2007), a Father appealed a support order regarding his then nineteen year old daughter. The daughter had recently been diagnosed with epilepsy which led to seizures, brain malformations and migraine headaches several times a week. While she had a driver’s license, attended community college and had a part-time job, ultimately the trial court held that the evidence presented still established she was unable to support herself. She had poor grades in school due to an inability to focus, often missed work or left early, and relied on her Mother to keep up with all her prescriptions, medical appointments, food, clothing and housing. The majority of states recognize an on-going duty of support if adult children are unable to support themselves due to a demonstrable physical or mental condition impacting their ability to earn a supporting wage.

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Child Support and Child Custody in a PFA order

Under the Protection from Abuse Act, a Court can, as part of the order granting a protection from abuse, also issue terms on custody of the minor children as part of that order.A Protection from Abuse order can be granted in Pennsylvania for up to three years. If an order includes a provision for custody, this does not mean that the other parent will not get to see the children for three years. If an order is entered that contains custody provisions, it is very important if the order is entered against you that you file for custody through the Family Court in the county where the Child resides. The Court in Family Court will determine custody and the terms of that custody order will override the terms in the Protection from Abuse Order. Likewise, if you receive a Child Support order as part of a Protection from Abuse Order, you must file for child support within two weeks in order to continue to receive child support. You file for child support at Domestic Relations. As long as you file for child support within the two week period, you will continue to receive support under the PFA order until Domestic Relations has its hearing and enters a new child support order. If you fail to file in the two week period then the child support in the PFA will terminate and you will not get support until you file and have a hearing through Domestic Relations.

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When and where to file for Child Support in Pennsylvania

Child support is a remedy afforded to the parent who has the majority of time with the children or who has equal time but makes less money. Child support may be filed either in the county where the child lives, the defendant lives or the defendant works. In Pennsylvania, child support is based on guidelines so no matter what county in Pennsylvania you choose to file, the amount should be the same and the money is all funneled through the PACSES which is located in Harrisburg. The difference may be procedure, time and how many steps it takes you to see the Judge. For example, in Bucks County, PA, you will attend a lower level conference and if not resolved it will be scheduled for a Judge within a few weeks. In Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties, however, you will first go to a conference, then to a Master’s Hearing and then to a Judge.

You should file for support as soon as you know that you will not be living with the other parent and about six weeks prior to the date you will separate. There are no filing fees for support in any of the counties and it is one of the few times you will not have to pay a filing fee. Most counties have pre-printed forms that you can fill out to file on your own or you can hire an attorney to file it for you. Domestic Relations is the office that handles support matters and you will want to contact that office to find out the hours and location to file in your county.

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