Can I get financial support for my children?

In many cases, yes. Usually, a child support order is established at the same time as PR&R. In other cases, you can initiate a child support order by completing the required forms and filing them with your local family court. You can get the forms at your local family court or from the Vermont Office of Child Support.

Every parent has the responsibility to support his/her child, although the amount of support will vary depending on how much time the children spend with each parent (sole or shared parenting) or whether there is at least one child living with each parent (split parenting). Child support orders in Vermont are supposed to provide children with the same standard of living that they would have received if their parents had stayed together.¹

There are many forms and calculations involved in coming to a child support agreement. Please contact an attorney for more detailed information - go to VT Finding a Lawyer. For more information on establishing and modifying a child support order, you can look on the Vermont Department for Children and Families website.

¹ VT ST 15 §§ 650; 654