Rhode Island Child Support Lawyer

Upon divorce, the traditional family structure is altered and accommodations need to be made to ensure your child or children are supported financially. Whether you are seeking increased child support from your estranged partner or feel like the child support you are providing is being misused, call the skilled Rhode Island Child Support Lawyers at Abilheira Law who will evaluate your case and review your legal options.​

Establishing Child Support

When a divorce proceeding involves children or a child’s parents are unmarried and living apart, the court will order that one or both parents have a duty to support their children.

The amount of support a parent must pay is based upon several factors. Factors typically considered by the family court include, but are not limited to:

  • The financial resources of the child
  • The financial resources of the parent who has custody of the child
  • The standard of living the child would have enjoyed had the marriage not been dissolved
  • The physical and emotional condition of the child and his or her educational needs
  • The financial resources and needs of the parent who does not have custody of the child.

​Parents must typically pay child support until their children reach the age of eighteen. However, in some circumstances child support may be extended beyond the age of eighteen for young adults in college or children with disabilities.

Modifying Child Support

In Rhode Island, a court will review the child support order every three years and may adjust the order. Either parent may also bring a motion to modify child support. A child support order may be modified within the first three years only by showing a material change in circumstances, which may include a fluctuation in a parent’s financial situation, an increase in income, job loss, or a large inheritance.

Enforcing Child Support

If your child is owed child support, you may bring a petition before the court to enforce a child support order. A delinquent parent may be held in contempt of court, may have their wages garnished, may have their driver’s license suspended, and may not be able to register a car, until their pay the full amount of past-due child support.

If you need help establishing, modifying, or enforcing child support, contact the Rhode Island Child Support Lawyers at Abilheira Law, who will fight to get the money your child deserves.