MICHIGAN FATHERS HAVE THE RIGHT TO SEEK CHILD SUPPORT PAYMENTS

Experiencing divorce is, for most, an emotional roller coaster. It takes a lot of effort to fairly separate one household into to two and still be able to provide for family needs. One of the biggest areas of contention for a divorcing couple has to deal with determining custody and child support payments. With more men in Michigan and nationwide taking on a greater role in the home and raising their children, many are questioning whether or not they are entitled to receive support payments.

The typical divorce scenario generally involves the father paying child support to the children’s mother, while they end up receiving very little parenting time. This is based on the father being the primary breadwinner in the home, which is often expected to continue post-divorce. However, times are changing and more men have taken on the duty as primary care-giver, with the female in the relationship becoming the primary breadwinner. In these situations should the male still be the only one required to provide the support payments?

Child support is typically ordered and calculated based upon the primary breadwinners income and the amount of time each parent has with the children. So if the mother is the primary money-maker, she may be the one who is ordered to pay child support. Some men who were the primary providers in their relationship may choose to decrease their workload after a divorce in order to have an equal role in parenting time. This change in financial status will also have an effect on who is ordered to pay child support and how much.

Men often feel they get the short end of the stick when it comes to final arrangements on custody and child support. However, fathers in Michigan who choose to make it a point to be active and involved in their children’s lives, either as primary care-giver or by equally co-parenting, may be entitled to receive support payments for their role. No matter how child support payments are ordered, at the end of the day the primary goal is to ensure that the physical, financial and emotional needs of the children are being provided for.

Source: The Huffington Post, Divorced Dads Who Choose Parenting Over Income and Child Support: Sinners or Saints?, B. Robert Farzad, Feb. 24, 2014