New York Child Support Attorney
Protecting Your Children, Protecting Your Rights
When two parents file for divorce, whether the divorce is highly contested or amicably resolved through settlement negotiations, it may be necessary to address the issue of child support. Your children are not ending a marriage, which is why the court will focus on the needs and support of the children. Without properly addressing this issue with the help of a knowledgeable divorce lawyer, both children and parents can face repercussions, including financial pressures.
Calculating Child Support Payments in New York
Regardless of what your particular case may entail, it is important to understand how child support will be handled by the court if you and the other parent cannot come to an agreement on your own. In New York, the courts determine child support based on the Child Support Act (CSSA). First, they start by applying the percentage of combined parental income, depending on how many children are involved. Currently, these percentages are:
- One child: 17%
- Two children: 25%
- Three children: 29%
- Four children: 31%
- Five+ children: 35%
Next, they allocate support between the parents based on their respective incomes. “Income” refers to gross income reported, or what should have been reported on the parents’ income tax returns. In some cases, the court may also impute income based on the parent’s resources, including gifts and employee benefits.
Aside from awarding basic child support, courts may also order awards for any applicable costs related to healthcare, child care, additional education, and possibly other extracurricular activities, among other justifiable expenses. It is important to ensure that you are represented by an experienced attorney so you do not overlook anything. Lois M. Brenner, Esq. and our team have been serving and protecting NYC families for more than 35 years.
Contact Lois M. Brenner, Esq. today at (646) 663-4546 for more information about your situation.
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We have Lois Brenner to thank for turning our marriage around. We hired Lois as our mediator when we were considering divorce. When we started working with her and she realized we wanted to try to keep our marriage together she suggested a postnuptial agreement to get our marriage back on track. Having the postnuptial agreement made us both accountable when it came to our issues. Having this doc in place is clearly helping us redefine our marriage in a better way. I don’t know if we will never get divorced, but for now we are respecting each others’ boundaries and are aware of the consequences if we don’t! It was really cool that Ms. Brenner suggested this method as an option. Most divorce attorneys would not have suggested a way for us to try to stay together. She is very talented and unusual in the best possible way. If we choose to take the divorce path eventually we will definitely hire her again. In the meantime we are making it work. She is amazing.- Joseph M
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Lois was an absolute pleasure to work with. She worked on a prenuptial agreement for me. Our very first conversation put me at ease. She was interested in my upcoming marriage and wedding. She assured me the prenuptial agreement could be drafted quickly. She made intelligent recommendations to address some of my complex financial decisions. She also made sound suggestions to protect my multi-million dollar portfolio. Our wedding is coming up and will be a lot smaller than we originally thought due to COVID-19, but Lois Brenner got our prenuptial agreement done in time, and made it a lot more pleasurable experience than I thought it would be. I would recommend Lois to anyone seeking a truly skilled attorney to draft their prenuptial agreement.- Glen Mearns
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“Expert, Compassionate Counsel”- Alisa
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I have hired Mrs. Brenner and had the best experience with her in my complicated and intense divorce. She was there for me all the way, always answering promptly any questions I had. She gave me the best advice, in such a caring and kind way. She has an amazing team of specialists, that will cover any needs you might have. I highly recommend Mrs. Brenner, you can feel she’s got your back!- JN
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- Lois M. Brenner, Esq.
"My medical and legal training allow me and my team to look beyond the surface conflict of a divorce and understand the emotional and psychological dynamics often shaping it. When you understand what is truly driving the dispute, you are better equipped to protect your family, make sound decisions, and move forward with dignity."
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“We are forever grateful!”- Donna and Frank
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Everything you said about mediation was true. My husband and I really connected in a positive way working out the details of our divorce in mediation with you. The arguing was endless but we finally heard each other. You have a lot of patience. The property discussions made everything so emotional. You kept us focused and stopped us from rehashing the past. We tell everyone about you. Hopefully none of our friends will divorce but if they do we will tell them they need you.- Tom & Philip R.
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"Like at First Sight!" We consulted Lois on the best, most cost-effective way to get divorced. First, she extended a free in-office consultation to us. It was supposed to be one hour; it was an hour and a half. She was gracious, didn’t rush us, explained thoroughly all the ins and outs of going to court, and answered thoroughly lots of our questions. She also shared lots of great information on divorce mediation, which we really knew nothing about, and now we have decided mediation will be the best route for us. We knew in the first 10 minutes that we really liked and trusted her. We are starting our mediation process with her next week. We are really looking forward to working with her. We feel strongly she is the best person for us.- Jen