hi mommas! i have a quick question for single moms who put their baby daddy on child support. we have an existing court case but nothing has been decided we’re just at the  mediation stage. i have a part time job and we share custody until it is decided at mediation. i have a part time and it’s one week off and one week on but i have and see my son the majority of the time. can i still put my baby daddy on child support or should i wait till after mediation? TIA!
This sounds asked and answered. You said you are going to mediation. I know where I live, thats where custody/ visitation and support are all done together. If it can’t be agreed on in meditation, then you see a judge.
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Since you’re only working part time I’m assuming you’re receiving financial assistance elsewhere. If you’re receive public assistance they will make you put him on child support. They won’t make him pay what is ordered. They might use the ordered amount against your assistance. So take that into consideration.
Whatever choice you make there’s little enforcement. They threaten jail time or taking away their DL. Realistically that doesn’t happen often. It costs the state too much to enforce it. You’ll be lucky to get part of his tax return.
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Every state is different - your state would have helped.
I’m in Maryland and here, mediation is set first. They give both parties the opportunity to come to an agreement on custody, visitation and support. If both parties agree, an agreement is drawn up and set for the judge to sign.
If an agreement isn’t made in mediation, then the two parties go before a judge for a determination.
Typically, if it goes to court, a judge will take into account both parents income, number of overnights with each parent, who covers health insurance, additional medical expenses and child care and base support on that.