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Georgia Child Support

Georgia Child Support

GEORGIA CHILD SUPPORT LAWS & REGULATIONS UPDATE 2023

A DECADE OF CHANGE: AN OVERVIEW OF GEORGIA’S CHILD SUPPORT LAWS AND REGULATIONS TIMELINE (2013-2023)

Georgia’s commitment to the welfare of children and families is evident in the changes made to its child support laws and regulations over the past decade. This article provides a concise overview of the key developments in Georgia’s child support landscape from 2013 to 2023.

2013: Child Support Guidelines Update

   – Revision of child support guidelines to ensure accurate and fair calculations.

2014: Income Shares Model Adoption

   – Implementation of the income shares model for calculating child support obligations.

2015: Shared Parenting Focus

   – Consideration of shared parenting arrangements and their impact on child support.

2016: Enforcement Measures Strengthened

   – Strengthening of enforcement measures to ensure consistent child support payments.

2017: Healthcare Coverage Emphasis

   – Emphasis on providing healthcare coverage for children through child support orders.

2018: Modification Process Streamlining

   – Streamlining of the process for modifying child support orders based on changing circumstances.

2019: Income Withholding Enhancement

   – Enhancement of income withholding mechanisms for more effective collection of child support.

2020: Virtual Communication Consideration

   – Consideration of virtual communication costs in child support calculations.

2021: Payment Accessibility Enhancement

   – Enhancement of payment methods to provide convenient options for child support payments.

2022: Regular Review Mechanism

   – Implementation of a mechanism for regular review of child support orders.

2023: Continued Adaptations

   – Ongoing efforts to adapt child support laws to address evolving family dynamics and needs.

Georgia’s commitment to improving child support laws and regulations underscores its dedication to creating a supportive environment for families. By embracing changes and ensuring fairness, the state ensures that child support proceedings remain transparent, equitable, and beneficial for all parties involved.


Quick Guide to Georgia Child Support

Georgia Child Support

Georgia’s child support laws and procedures are strict, and the guidelines for determining child support in the state are complicated.

Anyone involved in a divorce or separation care involving Georgia child support is highly encouraged to hire the services of a family law attorney.

Most of Georgia’s child support laws can be found in Chapter 6 of Title 19, and these laws address issues from the settlement process for the parenting plan to problems after the final decree.

Normally, child support will last until the child is 18 or has married unless that child has extraordinary education expenses or special needs.

How is Georgia Child Support Calculated?

As mentioned above, those concerned about Georgia’s child support determination should hire a family law attorney immediately to protect a parent’s rights—even within temporary orders.

The attorney will guide the client through a large number of steps and determining facts, and the majority of the steps for determining child support are located in the following guide provided by the Georgia Child Support Commission:

The guide is complex and absolutely requires the assistance of a family law attorney. A document that will supplement the information in the document above is the following guide provided by the GCSC as well.

Once a final settlement has been reached in court, Georgia child support may be altered if the supporting party faces extreme economic conditions.

If the supporting party is obligated to pay support and fails to make payments, Georgia’s child support services under the Department of Human Services can help the custodial parent receive the payments they deserve.

How do I Retrieve Unpaid Georgia Child Support?

If a noncustodial party has violated Georgia law on child support and refused or either fell behind on payments, a custodial party can contact the Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) under the Georgia Department of Human Services (GDHS) at (877) 423-4746.

If the case for the Georgia child support is serious enough, the GDHS will post the offender under the “Most Wanted Evaders” section.

One option for backed payments on Georgia’s child support is the Federal Tax Offset Program under the GDHS.

The program allows the GDHS to intercept a Federal income tax return or other benefits—even retirement benefits. For more information on this specific service.

There are a number of other ways the Georgia child support can be enforced in a contempt action as well. If the case is brought to court, a judge may be able to obtain the support through the following actions:

• Withholding percentages of paychecks, unemployment, or workers’ compensation benefits

• Reporting the delinquent payments to credit bureaus

• Suspending a driver’s, professional, or occupational license

• Intercepting lottery winnings of more than $2,500

• Filing liens to seize bank accounts or real or personal property

• Denying a passport to anyone suspected of owing more than $2,500 in Georgia child support

The Georgia child support authorities can take a number of actions against non-custodial parents that fail to meet their child support obligations.

This includes withholding tax refunds, lottery winnings and reporting the debt to credit agencies.  Serious violations of child support arrangements may lead to the incarceration or the on custodial parent.

With the payment of child support and agreement with the custodial parent, non-custodial parents are entitled to visitations every other weekend, alternating holidays and 1 -2 months in the summer.

This can be reached through court order if the parents cannot come to an agreement on their own.

Medical insurance is mandatory for children in Georgia and child support payments can be modified depending on which parent has the more affordable insurance option and can provide that option for the children.