Ways people try to avoid paying child support

Figuring out how much child support one former spouse should pay to the other can be one of the most contentious aspects of going through a divorce. Determining factors of child support payments include such things as how many children are in the picture and how much gross income each parent earns. However, some people use legal or illegal methods to try to avoid paying child support.

Here are a couple of the ways that parents try to get around paying child support in New York.

By hiding their income and assets

Sometimes, couples going through a divorce hide assets to try to prevent the other spouse from receiving any of that money. People also use this trick to try to get out of paying child support or to lower the amount that they have to pay. Hiding of assets may come in the form of concealing earned interest, capital gains, retirement benefits and other sources of income.

By filing for primary custody

Because it is the noncustodial parent who generally provides child support to the other parent, another way to attempt to avoid paying child support is to file to be the primary caregiver of the child or children. Although this is an honest method, unlike hiding income and assets, it still might take the custodial parent by surprise.

Going through a divorce is trying enough without worrying about the other spouse putting up a fight regarding child support. Knowing some of the ways a spouse might attempt to fight it allows parents to be proactive.