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.
Here are the results for the letter c
- child custody
- Living arrangements and legal decision-making responsibilities concerning the child (See child support law summary for your state)
- child support
- The money the non-custodial parent pays to the custodial parent to help pay for the support of the child
- child support guidelines
- The standard amount of support to be paid, established by the state legislature. A mathematical formula is used to calculate the proper amount of child support (See child support law summary for your state)
- civil court
- The court which presides over non-criminal cases
- cohabitation
- Two people living together outside of marriage. This can be grounds for termination of support in some states. (See your state section of divorce laws)
- common-law marriage
- A marriage in which no formal ceremony took place and no license exists
- constructive abandonment
- Refusal of one spouse to engage in sexual relations with the other spouse. In some states this is considered grounds for divorce if it lasts for a certain length of time.
- contempt of court
- Any deliberate failure to comply with the legal process, including the disruption of the court and proceedings. In child support cases, contempt is disobedience of a court order to pay child support. If a non-custodial parent is found in contempt for non-payment of support, they may end up in jail.
- custodial parent (CP)
- The parent a child lives with, who makes legal decisions concerning the child, and who is entitled to receive child support for the non-custodial parent. Several different types of custody arrangements are available, see child support law summary for your state.
- custody
- The legal right and responsibility to raise a minor child and to make decisions in their interest
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