Legal Question in Family Law in Arizona

Re: Child Support

Yes, under the Arizona Child Support Guidelines, child care costs are one factor in determining the amount of child support. Daycare does not have to be provided by a DES certified provider, it can be any number of companies or individuals. Keep in mind that you would need to document how much the care provider/grandmother is paid. If you paid her during 2006, I assume she would show the payments as income for 2005 or 2006. If you pay a small amount, it might not be enough of a change to get a court hearing, there needs to be a �substantial change of circumstances� which can be interpreted as a 15% increase or decrease from the amount of support being paid now. At Arizona Supreme Court web site http://www.supreme.state.az.us/childsup/ you can read some information and then near the bottom select ARIZONA CHILD SUPPPORT GUIDELINES for good overview of how the monthly amount is determined. Then back to the site listed and select the blue button box CALCULATE SUPPORT. Another site with a general overview with FAQ for Child Support in Arizona is at http://www.azlawhelp.org/articles_info.cfm?mc=1&sc=2&articleid=53. Do you have an open case with your local Child Support Enforcement office? A FREE service to assist you in enforcing a child support order is available through the Arizona Department of Child Support Enforcement (DCSE), a subdivision of DES. Their general site is http://www.de.state.az.us/dcse/default.asp. You can find out how to contact the local office and download an application from the site. Keep in mind they have lots of cases, so things don�t necessarily happen quickly, but the caseworkers are experts at getting money to you.You can hire an attorney to assist you with the court action. You may qualify for Legal Aid assistance, check the phone book or see http://www.azlawhelp.org/ for the office in your county. You can always take action in court on your own. A good source of information and forms are the free sites you can access through http://supreme.state.az.us/selfserv/. Good Luck.