"I went to Queens Family Court first in May to get papers to serve my ex-husband to pay child support. We have a 4 1/2 year daughter. It has been three months and still no court hearing and no one has done anything to find out how much money he is earning so a fair child support order can be set. I don't know if I'm more upset about no hearing or what I would do at a hearing with no information!" -- Kitty, mother of Jessica
ESTABLISHING CHILD SUPPORT ORDERS
To collect child support for your child(ren), you must have an order for child support. Most often child support orders are part of a divorce or paternity decree. If you are separated or involved in a long divorce, you can get an order for child support for use during the divorce process by going to your local government child support agency. They can obtain an administrative or court order for you. If you were not married to the father of the child, paternity must be established before you can get a child support order.A child support order can be issued by the local child support agency (administrative order) or by a judge. (referee, master, court commissioner) The amount of support that is ordered is based on your state's child support guidelines, which are the mathematical formulas used to determine the amount of support to be paid.
The child support order should include a specific amount of money to be paid per child, medical support (health insurance and payment arrangements for non-reimbursed expenses), tuition costs, and any other provisions for special needs or expenses related to the children. In some cases, spousal support (alimony) is included in the same or
