Glossary of Child Support Terms

Child support laws vary in the United States. We provide legal definitions for terms used in court-ordered support payment documents, custody and visitation and other divorce paperwork.

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abandonment: When one spouse leaves the marital home without consent, it is called abandonment, and is grounds for divorce in some states.
absent parent: The parent who does not live with or have custodial rights to the child, but is still responsible for helping pay for living expenses for the child. Usually referred to as the non-custodial parent.
adversarial divorce: A divorce in which spouses are unable to come to agreement
affidavit: A written statement of facts made voluntarily under oath, witnessed and signed by a notary public or another official authorized to administer oaths
alimony: Court-ordered spousal payments that is separate and apart from child payments. It may be paid in one lump sum or in installments. It can be temporary or permanent.
alimony pendente: A pretrial order for spousal Support. Also known as Temporary Support.
arrearage: The amount of past-due, court-ordered child Support owed by the non-custodial parent. If a spouse does not pay the full amount of court-ordered Support, or does not make payments as ordered, the amounts not paid are arrearages. Interest and penalties charged on past-due amounts become part of the arrearage.
assets: Cash, property, investments, and anything else of value to an individual or business are considered assets.

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