Carmel Child Support Lawyers

Serving Parents Across Indianapolis & Central Indiana

Child support is a fundamental legal obligation, serving as a financial contribution from one parent to the other to assist in covering the costs of raising a child. 

This obligation is considered a child's right because it ensures the child's needs are adequately met despite parental separation or divorce. It is held that children deserve the financial support of both parents. This allows them to maintain the lifestyle they enjoyed before the breakup of the family or the benefit of both parental incomes when parents never married. 

At Roberts Means Roncevic Kapela LLC, we are committed to helping you navigate the complexities of this financial obligation, whether as part of a pending divorce or legal separation, as an unmarried parent after a paternity action, or in seeking a modification of a current child support order. 

We can assist in accurately determining income, identifying allowable deductions, and understanding how specific factors such as custody arrangements and parenting time impact child support calculation under Indiana state guidelines. We can work to ensure that your child's best interests are always the focal point of these proceedings while determining fair and just payments. 

Request a confidential consultation with a Carmel child support attorney by submitting our online contact form or call (317) 569-2200. 

Overview of Indiana Child Support 

Child support is typically paid by the parent who spends the least time with the child (called the noncustodial parent) to the parent who spends more time with the child (the custodial parent). This obligation is based on an “income shares model,” an approach that reflects the belief that a child should receive the same proportion of parental income they would have received if the parents lived together. 

The model considers both parents' income, the number of children, and healthcare and childcare expenses. The child support amount is proportionally divided based on each parent's share of the combined income. 

Child support obligations generally last until the child reaches the age of 19. However, it can continue if the child is incapacitated. 

The Indiana Child Support Bureau is key in implementing child support programs across the state. It develops policies and procedures, provides technical support to county prosecutors and caseworkers, enforces support orders, and manages the collection and distribution of child support payments.