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Washington Child Support Attorneys

Seattle | Bellevue | Everett

Do you have questions about Washington State's child support laws?

Looking for a good Washington child support attorney?

Call now for immediate answers to your questions.

Our Washington child support attorneys are experienced and effective advocates for our divorce clients.  We know the child support laws of the state of Washington, and we will ensure that your legal rights are fully protected.  Our Washington State divorce lawyers have decades of combined experience handling complex child support matters involving all variations of income. 

If you have questions about Washington child support and your legal rights and options, we encourage you to call our offices to learn more about how we can help you and protect your children.  Talk to a Washington State child support attorney today!

Washington child support attorneys fighting for you and your children.

Child Support is governed by RCW 26.19.  Child support is set in any case that involves children under the age of 18 or that are still in high school.  The transfer amount is set based on income of the parties. 

You can see this schedule at the following link:  Washington Child Support Economic Table.

The parties’ incomes are added and the support is set per the calculation figured in the child support worksheets.  Our attorneys are very familiar with the Washington State child support schedule and can accurately determine how much child support you are likely to pay.  If one or both of the parties have no income their income will be set at their previous income level, minimum wage or the median net monthly income of a person in their age category. 

The non-residential parent will be the one that pays the support.  The support can either be paid directly to the other parent or to the state, which will then pay the other parent.  If a parent chooses not to pay the support that has been ordered the Court can hold that parent in Contempt.  If the receiving parent has to file a Motion for Contempt the Court can order the obligor parent to pay the support owed, sanctions and attorney’s fees for failing to pay support or possibly even order jail time.  If the state is forced to assist in helping to enforce a child support order the obligor may even lose their driver’s license. 

What other expenses might a parent be order to pay under Washington's child support laws?

Along with basic support a parent can be ordered to pay child care expenses, extracurricular activities expenses, orthodontic expenses or other expenses that are above and beyond the basic needs of the child.  When this happen both parents are responsible for sharing in the payment of those expenses based on a percentage determined on the calculations set forth in the child support worksheets in their case. 

Can a court deviate from the Washington child support guidelines?

The Court may deviate from the basic support amount determined by the child support worksheets.  The amount of support paid may go up or down depending on the circumstances of the parties.  There are a variety of reasons that the Court may deviate from the standard calculation. 

These reasons include, but are not limited to, income of a new spouse or partner, a duty of support owed to other children from other relationships, extraordinary debt involuntarily incurred, a significant disparity in the living costs of the parents due to conditions beyond their control, or a residential time spend with the obligated parent. 

Deviations are up to the discretion of the Court and are not required to be entered.  In most cases a deviation will decrease the payment owed and will not fall below the presumptive minimum payment of $50.  In very rare cases the Court can authorize a $0 transfer payment.

How often can Washington child support be adjusted?

A parent is allowed to adjust the amount of support paid every two years.  A child support order can also be modified upon a showing of a substantial change in circumstances at any time or after one year or more after the entry of the previous order without a substantial change of circumstances. 

Generally speaking a child support order is good until the child turns 18 or until the child graduates from high school, which ever comes last.  If the receiving parent seeks post-secondary support prior to the termination of the current child support order the Court will consider ordered support for adult dependent children who are in college. 

When determining if support should be ordered for a child over the age of 18 going to college the Court will look at a number of factors.  Those factors include, but are not limited to:  the age of the child; the child's needs; the expectations of the parties for their children when the parents were together; the child's prospects, desires, aptitudes, abilities or disabilities; the nature of the postsecondary education sought; and the parents' level of education, standard of living, and current and future resources. Also to be considered are the amount and type of support that the child would have been afforded if the parents had stayed together. 

Our Washington child support attorneys are very familiar with the laws governing child support and can help you in the proper determination of child support for your children.