Rhode Island Child Support Law FAQS - Daycare, Overtime, Modification, College, Termination

1) What if my child's parent works overtime? Will overtime be included in child support?

There is no standard law or rule in Rhode Island regarding whether or not the non-possessory parent's overtime will be used to calculate child support. One Judge in Rhode Island consistently rules that overtime compensation cannot be used to calculate child support.

Other Judges in Rhode Island have different opinions regarding overtime. The Family Court is a court of equity and fairness. Judges in Rhode Island will typically look at whether or not a person consistently works overtime over a substantial period of time. Judges may also look at whether or not overtime is consistently offered to a spouse. If overtime is infrequent or not typically offered Judges may be hesitant to calculate overtime as a factor of child support. In that case, many attorneys argue that a person's income should be calculated using their W2 or gross income for the entire calendar year. By calculating gross income over an entire calendar year even infrequent overtime becomes an element of child support.

Judges may also look at other factors such as the needs and expenses of both parties and any extraordinary expenses for the child. At least one Judge has suggested that the possessory parent get a percentage of the overtime that is worked by the non-possessory parent. Other Judges in Rhode Island believe that overtime should always be a factor in child support. Often the issue of overtime is negotiated by the lawyers prior to any formal ruling by the Judge.

2) My child is about to turn 18 but is still in high school and living at home, can I still get child support?

Under Rhode Island Law, child support should end when a child turns 18 and graduates high school. If the child is still in high school, then child support will continue until the child turns 19.

Child support in Rhode Island automatically continues even after the child turns 18 unless a Motion to terminate child support is filed. If you are a non-possessory parent, your best option is to contact a lawyer to file a Motion to Terminate Child Support approximately 40 days prior to your child turning 18 and graduating high school. This will mean that the motion will be heard on a court date soon after the child turns 18. Please note that the non-possessory parent can still be found in contempt for failure to pay child support even after the child turns 18 if there is no motion granted to terminate the child support. If a child is seriously disabled, child support shall continue until the child turns 21 years old.

3) Can I get my child's father to be ordered to pay for my child's college education?

In Rhode Island the Court has no jurisdiction to order a parent to pay for the college education of his/her child. However, if pursuant to a Property Settlement Agreement or other contract, one party agrees to pay for a child's education, then that agreement may be enforced by a court of law. Therefore, if you seek to have your child's parent pay for your child's college education, then you must negotiate payment of college expenses as part of a global settlement of the divorce or custody agreement or other similar agreement.

4) Who is going to pay for my child's daycare?

The Rhode Island minimum child support guidelines take into account both the importance and expense of daycare. The child support guidelines and worksheet are used to determine the proper amount of child support to be paid by the non-possessory parent. The bottom line is that a party will be ordered to pay approximately the same percentage of the daycare that the party makes in relation to that party's percentage of the combined gross income of both parties.

For example: If the husband makes $100,000.00 and the wife makes $50,000.00 the combined gross income for the parties is $150,000.00. Therefore, the husband makes 66 percent of the income and will be ordered to pay 66 percent of the daycare in addition to child support. (There may be an adjustment to take into account the federal tax credit.) This amount is added onto the minimum Child Support Guidelines amount.

5) How do I modify, increase or terminate child support in Rhode Island?

In Rhode Island child support can only be modified if there is a substantial change of circumstances. In order to get a substantial change of circumstances, the child support amount must be 10 percent more or less than the old child support order. The change in circumstances could result from loss of a job, increase of income of either party, new dependents, loss of overtime, unemployment, a disability, etc.

David Slepkow is a Rhode Island attorney / lawyer concentrating in divorce, family law, personal injury, automobile accidents, child support, child custody and visitation. He is a partner at Slepkow Slepkow & Associates, Inc in East Providence RI. He is a member of the RI Bar, MA Bar and the Federal Bar for the First Circuit District of Rhode Island. David Slepkow has been practicing for ten years and is a member of the Rhode Island Family Court Inns Of Court. Please go to Official website of East Providence, Rhode Island (RI) Attorneys, Slepkow Slepkow & Associates, Inc to contact David Slepkow. Please call Rhode Island divorce Attorney, David Slepkow at 401-437-1100 with any questions! The first consult is always free!

Also visit: East Providence, Rhode Island (RI) Divorce Law Attorney / lawyer and RI Family & Child Support Law information or visit Rhode Island Child Support law information

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Rhode Island Divorce Strategy From Finding a RI Attorney to Filing for Divorce by a RI lawyer

The first step in obtaining a divorce from your spouse is finding a Rhode Island attorney who you are comfortable with. Many attorneys give free initial consultations while others charge for the first consult. I have always taken the position that the initial consultations will be free.

It is important to ask the proposed lawyer about his or her experience and qualifications to handle your case. It is also crucial to determine the hourly charge and the amount of any initial fee or retainer.

It is often impossible to determine how much a divorce will cost from beginning to end. However, it is a good idea to get an educated estimation of the eventual fee. This will never usually be more than a estimation because the cost of the divorce usually depends on several factors. Those factors could include how quickly a settlement is reached, the number of motions that each party will file, the amount / nature and complexity of assets to be equitably divided, the amount of documents involved in the case, the animosity of the parties to each other, the waiting time while you are in court and many other potential issues.

The Golden Rule is that the longer it takes to reach a settlement the more the divorce will cost because the lawyers will spend a lot more time working on the case. If there is no settlement and the case goes to trial or the day of trial, the divorce could get very expensive. If everything is agreed or nearly agreed to and the parties are relatively amicable then the divorce should take a lot less time and therefore be much less expensive.

Uncontested divorces in Rhode Island should be much less expensive then contested divorces. However, there are many different types of uncontested divorces. There are uncontested divorces with no real assets and uncontested divorces with assets to divide. If the divorce is uncontested and there are assets then the lawyer may need to prepare a property settlement agreement, deeds, qualified domestic relation orders etc. Therefore, the cost of an uncontested divorce could vary depending on the circumstances. For example if a lawyer has to draft a property settlement agreement , the lawyer will devote more time to the case.

I believe that a fair price for an uncontested divorce from soup to nuts in Rhode Island with no assets and no property settlement agreement is about $800 flat fee plus costs. The typical costs are a filing fee of $100 and service of process fees of approximately $40.

After you have retained the lawyer there is typically an intake process in which the lawyer gets the basic information so that he or she can properly represent you. The lawyer typically drafts the divorce documents and you sign them in front of him/her or another notary. These documents include a divorce complaint, DR(6) financial statement, statement of children of the marriage, counseling statement, report of divorce, summons and automatic divorce order etc. It is important that the DR6 form otherwise known as financial statement is accurately filled out.

There are many important decisions that may need to be made before you file for divorce in Rhode Island. Strategy is crucial in many instances!

In some cases, the attorney will file a motion for temporary orders when the divorce complaint is filed. A motion for temporary orders should be filed if the husband or wife is in need of temporary resolution of issues while the case is proceeding. These temporary motions typically request temporary child support, payment / contribution to daycare , contribution to medical bills, alimony, payment of household expenses, payment of the mortgage, taxes and insurance. A motion for temporary orders can also address child visitation and child custody issues related to the minor children as well as issues concerning exclusive use and possession of the marital home. The temporary motion can also request temporary orders concerning: restraining orders both financial and personal and a myriad of other temporary issues. The motion for temporary orders will typically be heard by the Court within 30-40 days of the filing of the complaint for divorce.

If no temporary orders enter then there is no legal obligation of a spouse to pay anything while the case is proceeding until there is a decision by the judge or the parties sign a property settlement Agreement. If there are no temporary orders, the financial issues, visitation and custody issues will be up to the parties to figure out while the case is proceeding without the benefit of a court order.

If there is an emergency in which irreparable harm will be caused if the party has to wait for a court date, then an emergency motion should be filed with the complaint. An emergency motion must either be verified under oath or be accompanied by an affidavit. The attorney will bring the emergency motion to the proper judge and ask for an ex parte order. Ex parte means that the other side is not present to object. The Rhode Island judge will only consider the affidavit and documentation before him. If the judge signs the emergency order than it will be served on your spouse by the constable along with the divorce complaint.

These types of emergency motion typically deal with issues concerning abuse of a child, dissipation or unreasonable spending of marital assets, domestic violence, child abuse or a plethora of other potential emergencies. If there is domestic violence involved in which you are in imminent fear of physical harm or have been abused or threatened with abuse please discuss with the attorney the benefits of filing a separate case called a Complaint Protection from Abuse! Please note that the Complaint Protection from Abuse is very different from an Emergency motion.

The timing of whether the divorce or Complaint Protection from Abuse case is filed first or whether they are filed simultaneously could be crucial to your case.

If an emergency motion is granted and emergency orders enter then a hearing will be set approximately 20 days to determine if the order should stay in effect while the divorce case is proceeding. At that hearing your spouse has an opportunity to contest the motion and tell his or her side of the story. At that hearing, the Court will determine whether the emergency relief will stay in effect while the divorce case proceeds.

Please see part two to be finished later which describes the process from filing the complaint to the nominal divorce hearing.

David Slepkow is a Rhode Island divorce and family law lawyer concentrating in divorce, family law, child support, custody, visitation, personal injury, landlord tenant, litigation, criminal law and the general practice of law. David is a partner at Slepkow Slepkow & Associates,Inc. which was established in 1932 and is currently celebrating its 75th anniversary. David has been practicing for over 9 years and is licensed in Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Federal Court. David offers free initial consultations. Please goto our recently revised website http://www.slepkowlaw.com to obtain further information concerning Rhode Island law or to contact David Slepkow.

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