Child Support Lawyers in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Daniel A. Selwa, Attorney at Law, is a child support lawyer located in Surfside Beach, SC, who accepts child support cases in Horry County, Georgetown County, and the surrounding areas.

Whether you are seeking a divorce, an order of separate support and maintenance, or to enforce or modify an existing child support order, we are here to help you achieve your goals and fight for the financial security of your children.

Depending on your goals and your situation, we are here to help you:

• Seek reasonable child support as part of your final divorce decree,
• Defend against an unreasonable demand for child support,
• Ask the family court to enforce an existing child support order, or
• Ask the family court to modify an existing child support order based on a change in circumstances.

Horry County Child Support Attorneys Who Care

People in Horry County, Myrtle Beach, and Conway, South Carolina, turn to our child support law firm when they need someone they trust to fight for their right to receive child support from the other parent – or their right not to pay an unreasonable amount of child support, whether it is during their divorce proceedings or to enforce an existing child support order after the divorce is final.

What makes us different?

We will answer your questions, return your phone calls and messages, and be there with you every step of the way.

More importantly, we care.

Every parent is obligated to provide for their children. Unfortunately, the family court sometimes must step in and enforce a parent’s financial obligations through a child support order or contempt proceedings.

When you call our office for help with your divorce or child support action, we will:

• Meet with you to learn about your situation,
• Answer your questions and help you determine the best path to reach your goals,
• Help you determine the amount of child support that the non-custodial parent must pay,
• Help you to draft pleadings to accomplish your goal, whether that is a divorce action asking for reasonable child support payments, an action for separate support and maintenance asking for reasonable child support payments, a child support enforcement action asking the court to force the “deadbeat” parent to pay their fair share, or a request to revise an existing child support order based on a change in circumstances,
• Gather the evidence and witness testimony you will need to prove your claim,
• Locate and serve all parties with the pleadings,
• Negotiate with the other parent to reach an agreement whenever possible,
• Represent your interests in mandatory mediation, and
• Try your case to a family court judge if you cannot reach an agreement with the other side.

What is Child Support?

Child support is the financial support that a non-custodial parent must provide to the custodial parent to assist with the costs of raising the child or children.

The amount of child support that must be paid is determined by the SC Child Support Guidelines and can be decided by agreement between the parties (subject to approval by the family court) or by the court.

How is Child Support Calculated in SC?

The Child Support Guidelines provide factors that your child support lawyer and the court must consider when calculating child support obligations, including:

• The income (and potential income) of each parent,
• Alimony and other support obligations,
• The number of children in the home,
• The child’s healthcare insurance costs, and
• Childcare costs.

The Guidelines also provide for exceptional circumstances that would justify deviating from the Guidelines.

What is the DSS Online Child Support Calculator?

The SC Department of Social Services’ website has an online child support calculator that estimates the amount of child support.

This is only an estimate, however – the online calculator should not be relied on in the courtroom, and it does not take into consideration the additional factors that would justify deviating from the Guidelines.

Child Support Negotiations and Separation Agreements

In most cases, the parties will agree to a reasonable amount of child support before their final hearing, and the court may order child support as part of a temporary order early in divorce proceedings.

If the parties do not agree to child support (and all other disputed issues like alimony, child custody, and division of property), they will be required to attend mediation before the final hearing. If the issues are not resolved in mediation, the family court will decide the issues at the final hearing.