My ex wife and I currently have joint custody of our 2 children. Currently there is no child support being paid. The children are with me on a week on/week off basis. They use my address to go to school. On the weeks my ex has them, she drops them off with me at 7:30 in the morning and picks them up at 8pm. Just in time to put them to bed. The way that I read the North Carolina Child Support Guidlines they only count “nights with each parent”. This is a significant financial and emotional burden, yet my ex refuses to provide any means of support for this time. I can’t even get her to pay her bills that are left over from the divorce (Joint Credit Card that she is responsible for, but cannot refinance).
I believe the best solution is to take her to court for Custody, but at this time, I cannot afford the court costs. Any help would be appreciated.
-Brian
Child support is based on the number of overnights the children spend with each parent. You may pursue custody on your own to determine a schedule where you have the children overnight. Many counties offer self serve clinics that can help you with this.
Can I claim the added cost on the Child Support Worksheet at least? I am concerned about going back to court because it isn’t very common here in NC for a Father to get primary custody except in extreme circumstances from what I have seen.
Also, I could not find a self help clinic in Wake County, only a referral number for assistance. It would be great to know if Law Firms around here offer financing too! My divorce was a cleark divorce, but I am paying the price now on the custody piece.
If you do not have the children for any overnights, you will not be entitled to receive support. Many law firms charge hourly rates.