One area of family court that can lead to a lot of contention is cases involving child support. Families may reach an amicable and workable agreement that meets needs in the short term, yet discover added expense and unexpected events lead to child support disputes or confusion. Pennsylvania families may be interested in knowing about how technology is helping families and courts deal with child support problems.
There are now programs and apps that can track expenses, be a resource for receipts and let a parent know exactly what specific funds are being used for what. Some of these programs can now be ordered by a family court judge. The apps and programs can be free to use, and one that is gaining in popularity charges a fee annually.
Our Family Wizard is one that can be court-ordered and costs $99 per year for each parent. This program allows a parent to post a receipt, and a formula is in place to split the cost of the expense. The paying parent can then approve the expense and pay it online. Other programs allow parents to track and share expenses without having to directly communicate with one another.
While a program or app may not work for every family, the sharing of information and clearly outlined responsibilities can prove helpful. If a parent feels overwhelmed with expenses or uncomfortable with extra costs, finding out more about court-ordered programs may prove beneficial. Pennsylvania parents may also want to think about how working these programs into a court-ordered modification may help to avoid conflict and accurate records of expenses related to child support.
Source: The Huffington Post, “These Apps Could Help You And Your Ex Avoid Child Support Fights“, Beth Pinsker, Feb. 3, 2015
