A Note about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) to Clients. Learn more.
2021 will see 5 major changes to the child support guidelines, one of which will allow the Court to decline to award any child support if certain circumstances exist. Child support law current through September 30, 2021 does not entitle a Court to decline to order child support. These changes will be found in Family Law Article §12-202(b) and apply to cases filed on and after October 1, 2021*.
Circumstances under the new law allowing a no support order are:
2021 will see 5 major changes to the child support guidelines, one of which introduces new Maryland law on the self-support reserve for low income parents for cases filed on and after October 1, 2021*.
The self-support reserve recognizes that parents at the lowest income levels require a basic amount of money to live on before being able to pay child support. The self-support reserve standardizes this calculation, while still allowing deviation in appropriate cases.
2021 will see 5 major changes to the child support guidelines, one of which concerns statutory updates to existing law on voluntary impoverishment and potential income.
Voluntary impoverishment basically means a parent choosing to be unemployed or underemployed (so, reduced his or her income) in order to avoid paying child support. Starting October 1, 2021 for cases filed on and after that date*, Maryland will see changes to its child support definitions statute (Family Law Article §12-201) to:
October 1, 2020 saw updates to the law (Family Law Article §12-104.1) allowing suspension of child support when the payor (the person required to pay child support; also called “obligor”) is sentenced to incarceration for 180 consecutive calendar days or more. This is a change from 18 consecutive months to 180 consecutive days. This applies to cases filed on and after October 1, 2020.
The 2020 Session of the Maryland General Assembly saw several major developments to Maryland’s law on child support, some of which went into effect October 1, 2020 and the others going into effect October 1, 2021.
This series of articles discusses those changes and provides tips for parents and attorneys in child support negotiation, mediation, and litigation.
The series covers these changes in the law:
Trial by Zoom is a technological advance that I would not have anticipated in my career, but here we find ourselves. In addition to the physical distancing benefits, court appearances by zoom can save time, money (especially from time off work or for childcare), and the cost of attorney travel to & from court.
COVID Court closures are expected to create a significant backlog of family cases and delays getting to trial and resolution. This is especially difficult for families whose complex situation calls for Court intervention, but access to the Court has been quite limited. What options do these families have while they await rescheduled hearing and trial dates & their day in Court?
This series of articles explores options to help stabilize families in crisis through:
The National Institutes of Health has reported on the increased risk of family violence during the COVID-19 pandemic and cautioned domestic violence rates may even increase far after the pandemic dies down. The stay-at-home orders issued in the State of Maryland places many individuals at risk for domestic violence and increases the risk for others who already suffer from regular abuse at home. Victims of domestic violence are now required to perpetually be within harm’s reach of their abusive partners or family.
COVID Court closures are expected to create a significant backlog of family cases and delays getting to trial and resolution. This is especially difficult for families whose complex situation calls for Court intervention, but access to the Court has been quite limited. What options do these families have while they await rescheduled hearing and trial dates & their day in Court?
This series of articles explores options to help stabilize families in crisis through:
The global pandemic will have a lasting effect on all ways of life as we know it. Unfortunately, one of those effects involves our relationships with others. As we are spending more time at home with our loved ones, it is not uncommon for arguments to arise. Our attorneys have compiled some tips to help you and your spouse get through these troubling times with minimal interference to your marriage. Although we are always here to provide counsel, we hope that you might be able to save your marriage before it reaches a breaking point.