Blog

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) has wide-ranging implications, including how it may affect the calculation of child support payments. The TCJA became law in 2017, and it leaves payors and recipients facing no tax consequences for legally mandated child support payments. They are also not required to declare support on their tax forms…. Read More »

When a marriage ends, what happens to the assets, property and debts the parties shared can get complicated. Having an agreement about these arrangements already in place can make the divorce process much less stressful. That’s where a prenuptial agreement comes in. A prenuptial agreement is a private contract that a couple executes before marriage… Read More »

People who are new to paying alimony will no longer be able to deduct their payments when they file their federal income taxes, thanks to the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) signed into law in 2017. This also means that those who receive alimony no longer have to report it as taxable income…. Read More »

Couples often go through many agonizing and drawn-out conversations before officially deciding to divorce. Some spend a significant amount of time apart while remaining married until they are ready to end their partnership legally. When the time comes, Pennsylvania’s no-fault divorce statute can be especially helpful. In a no-fault divorce, neither spouse has to allege… Read More »

Over the years, college students across the United States have sued their parents to pay for their school tuition and other expenses – sometimes successfully and sometimes unsuccessfully. But can a Pennsylvania court order divorced parents to cover their child’s college costs? The short answer is no, unless an agreement is made to the contrary,… Read More »

The opioid crisis has impacted countless families in Pennsylvania. Many adults seeking recovery from addiction have children in their care, and new legislation is lending a hand to grandparents who want to step in and help. Pennsylvania estimates that about 82,000 grandparents have taken on sole caregiver duties for 89,000 grandchildren, saving the state more… Read More »

Raising a child can be difficult and even more challenging when parents live in separate homes. Simple aspects of daily care, such as who will pick a child up from school, can turn into arguments. Problems may also arise when one parent wants to bypass a custody agreement, such as by taking the child on… Read More »

Parents who are separated or divorced have certain rights regarding the ability to visit and raise their children, and those rights are protected by the U.S. Constitution. What about grandparents? Do they also have certain rights in this regard when it comes to seeing their beloved grandchildren? The fact is that there is no federal… Read More »

Pennsylvania’s child support system is based on the “income shares model.” The full guidelines the state uses are outlined in Chapter 1910 of the Pennsylvania Code. Below is an overview of the guidelines and how they might affect your case. In these guidelines, the state provides an estimate for a total amount of support a… Read More »

Parents do not always have to go to court to get a child custody arrangement if they are able to work out such an arrangement themselves. This agreement must include sound custody terms and decision-making guidelines. However, a court will establish its own custody order if the parents cannot agree on a parenting plan. The… Read More »