Making Sure Your Children Get the Support They Deserve
Asheville Child Support Attorney
Child support is about one thing at its core: making sure your children are cared for, no matter how your family changes. Whether you expect to pay support or receive it, you deserve a fair result you can actually live with.
I am attorney Steven M. King, founder of Five Points Family Law, and I help parents across Asheville and western North Carolina get child support right, from the first calculation through any changes life brings later.
I also spent years working for the child support services agency serving Buncombe, Transylvania, and Polk counties, so I understand how these cases work from the inside, and I use that knowledge to protect the families I represent today.
Want a clear answer on what support should look like for your family? Let’s talk.
Child Support Guidelines and Calculations
In North Carolina, child support starts with a set of state guidelines, not guesswork. Understanding how the number is built helps you know whether a proposed amount is actually fair.
The calculation generally weighs both parents’ incomes, the custody and overnight schedule, and certain child-related costs such as health insurance and child care.
Extraordinary expenses can factor in as well. I walk you through each piece so the final figure makes sense and reflects your family’s real circumstances, not just a formula on paper.
Not sure how your number was reached? I can break it down for you.
Child Support Modification
The amount that made sense a few years ago may not fit your life today, and North Carolina lets support be revisited when things genuinely change.
Support can typically be modified when there is a substantial change in circumstances, such as a meaningful shift in either parent’s income, a change in the child’s needs, or the passage of three years combined with a significant change in the guideline amount.
Whether you need to request a modification or respond to one, I help you make the case clearly and protect what is fair for your children.
Has your income or your child’s needs changed? Let’s see if your order should change too.
Enforcement and Contempt
Child support is not optional, and when a parent stops paying, your children feel the gap. You have real tools to address it.
When support goes unpaid, I help you pursue enforcement through the court, which can include contempt proceedings against a parent who refuses to meet a valid order.
The goal is steady, reliable support your family can count on, recovered in a way that holds up.
Owed support that is not being paid? Let’s hold the other parent accountable.
Deviation and Underemployment
Sometimes the standard formula does not tell the whole story. The guidelines allow for a different result when the numbers alone would not serve the child fairly.
A court may deviate from the guideline amount when a child has unusual needs or a family has circumstances the formula does not capture.
And when a parent is deliberately earning less than they could to lower their obligation, I help present the facts so support is based on true earning capacity, not an artificially low income.
Think the standard formula does not fit your situation? I can make the case for a fair adjustment.
Arrears and Wage Withholding
When support has gone unpaid for a while, those past due amounts add up, and there are dependable ways to collect them going forward.
I help you pursue arrears for the support your child should have already received, and I use tools like income withholding orders so payments come directly and consistently from the paying parent.
That steadiness takes pressure off you and keeps your child’s support predictable.
Trying to recover back support or make payments more reliable? Let’s set that up.
Frequently Asked Questions About Child Support
How is child support calculated in North Carolina?
Can child support be changed after it is ordered?
What happens if the other parent refuses to pay?
You can pursue enforcement through the court, including contempt and income withholding, to recover support and keep payments on track.
Have a question that is not answered here? I’m glad to talk it through.
Let’s Secure Your Child’s Support Today
Your children deserve consistent support, and you deserve an advocate who will make sure the numbers are fair and the payments are reliable.
I offer a 1-hour consultation where we can talk through your situation, answer your questions, and explore your options together. Taking this first step does not commit you to anything except the clarity and peace of mind you deserve.
Call Five Points Family Law at 828-786-8705 or send a message through my website to get started.