Legal Question in Family Law in Washington

Amicable separation with kids

My wife and I are currently separated (but not legally), we continue to care for our kids as we have for 13 years. They stay with me, they stay with her, we both contribute financially and always will.

The question: I am trying to buy a house and the lender wants a statement saying I dont have court ordered child support payments. We filled out some separation forms I purchased online, signed and notarized, and the court wouldn't accept them, saying they weren't ''official state documents''. Well, I have the official forms and there is no way I can fill these out myself, much less make sense out of the rights my wife and I have regarding making our own decisions. It appears to me in the forms that you have to pay the child support that the court decides on.

Chances are my wife and I will get back together, its just one of those bad times.

Do my wife and I have any say so in the way our children will be cared for financially? It will always be a contribution from us both, they will always live with us both.

Thank you for your time.


Asked on 10/06/06, 12:16 am

1 Answer from Attorneys

Christopher Steuart IT Forensics, Inc.

Re: Amicable separation with kids

You will have to file a parenting plan, and child support order (based on the Child Support Worksheets). There is statutory and case law that allows for deviations and offsets based on something other than the usual parenting plan structure, and requires explanation or demonstration of the calculations to the court in support the figures.

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Answered on 10/07/06, 10:35 pm


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