Stillings & Buchinger, LLC

DEFINING A CHILD SUPPORT ORDER

A child support order is a court order, which means that a court is ordering a person to comply with its orders. A child support order is signed by a judge. That judge is in a court that has personal jurisdiction over at least one party involved in the child support action.

After a judge signs a child support order, it becomes enforceable. The Wisconsin child support enforcement agency is notified of the child support order and sent copies of each order and modification to that order. The child support enforcement agency creats an account which can then be accessed by both the receiving and paying parents.

Child support payments are added to a credit-card support card, which can then be used in stores just like any other credit card.

A child support order also sets the amount of support and typically includes provisions for health care insurance and fees, as well as daycare costs and visitation schedules, as may be applicable to the family.

obtaining a child support order

In most cases, a court orders Child Support when one or both parties petition the court for an order, file for legal separation, or file for divorce. In these cases, child support amounts are determined by the Child Support Guidelines. Parents may agree to a different child support amount than would otherwise be ordered by the guidelines.

Family Support

Wisconsin abolished the laws that provided for alimony and replaced them with laws for Family and Child Support. Family support includes both amounts, but rules exist for separate collection of family support and child support.

Age of emancipation

A child is emancipated when they reach the age of majority, which is 18 years in Wisconsin. Child support obligations usually terminate when a child is emancipated, unless they are in high school, then the obligation continues until they graduate from high school. The health of the child may also affect the length of time of a support obligation. For example, a court may order that support continue to some other marker. It would not be unusual for a court to order support for a longer period of time for a handicapped child.

If a child is in high school beyond his or her 18th birthday, the child support enforcement agency will send a notice to the custodial parent asking for verification of the child's high school enrollment. No further court intervention is needed for the child support payments to continue.