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Child support payments may either be ordered by the court in a divorce decree or legal separation agreement or mutually agreed upon by the parties. Several laws exist which are designed to make child support orders readily enforceable across the United States. However, despite such efforts, “dead-beat dads,” or parents who consistently fail to make support payments in full or at all, continue their delinquencies. As a result, there are further measures available for the collection of child support payments.
Continue Reading Consequences of Falling Behind on Child Support Payments

An increasingly large portion of the assets of married couples consist of rights to payments and stock from pension plans. In many states such assets are subject to division during a divorce. Divorce and division of property are generally controlled by state law, but pension plans are controlled by federal law in many respects.
Continue Reading Tax Issues Related to Qualified Domestic Relations Orders and Divorce

In July 2001, the United States Department of State began to implement a new law regarding passport application procedures. Under the Two-Parent Consent Law, both parents are required to execute the passport application for a minor U.S. citizen under the age of 14. By putting this new law into practice, the Department of State seeks to decrease the likelihood that a U.S. passport will be used to facilitate an international parental child abduction.
Continue Reading Children Under Age 14 Need Two Parents’ Consent for U.S. Passport

For federal income tax purposes, there are five tax “statuses:” single; head of household; married filing jointly; married filing separately; and qualifying widow(er) with dependent child. Status affects tax credits and deductions, and therefore also affects the amount of taxes owed. This article focuses on married persons filing jointly or separately.
Continue Reading Taxes, Filing Returns and Married Couples!

A premarital (or prenuptial) agreement is a contract entered into by a couple prior to marriage with the terms becoming effective when they marry. Generally, premarital agreements specify the property rights of each spouse should their marriage end in death or divorce.

There are several advantages of a premarital agreement including protection of separate property, supporting estate plans, defining community property and establishing procedures to decide future matters. However, premarital agreements may still be attacked as being invalid if they fail to meet certain requirements.
Continue Reading Grounds to Challenge a Premarital Agreement

Decisions regarding the division of marital assets upon divorce may be made either by the divorcing spouses themselves or by a judge. State law governs which spouse is entitled to receive which assets in the distribution. Typically, each spouse will receive a percentage of the total value of their joint property. Although it is illegal to do so, one spouse may try to hide their assets in an effort to protect the assets from property division. There are numerous tactics that an individual might try to use to veil their assets. However, it is possible to find hidden assets to make them available for a fair distribution in a divorce.
Continue Reading Divorce and Hidden Assets

Frequently, as a result of a change in circumstances, parents seek to modify child support orders. Although the law varies considerably among states, delaying or failing to modify child support to reflect current circumstances can have a serious impact on both parents (whether recipient or payor) and children.
Continue Reading Procedural Considerations for Parents Seeking to Modify Child Support

Child support payments may either be ordered by the court in a divorce decree or legal separation agreement or mutually agreed upon by the parties. Several laws exist which are designed to make child support orders readily enforceable across the United States. However, despite such efforts, “dead-beat dads,” or parents who consistently fail to make support payments in full or at all, continue their delinquencies. As a result, there are further measures available for the collection of child support payments.
Continue Reading Falling Behind on Child Support Payments