New Hampshire Essential Legal Life Documents for New Parents

You are allowed to modify a parenting plan once it is approved in family court as long as you can show that the current plan is no longer meeting your children's needs.

New Hampshire's child support guidelines provide a formula for determining how much child support an absent parent is required to pay. Generally the amount is 25% of adjusted gross income for one child; 33% for two children; 40% for three children; and 45% for four or more children.

Although the law specifically permits children at least 14-years-old to express an opinion, there is no specific age when a judge will listen to a child's opinion. California statutes also permit a child younger than 14 years old to testify regarding a custodial preference, unless the court decides it's not in the

A court order may have been made by a judge, or a judge may have approved an agreement made by you and your child's other parent. In either case, if you want to change that order and the other parent does not agree, you will have to file a court action and ask a judge to change the order.

Filing a legal action called a "contempt," which will require the paying parent to go to court and explain to a judge why support hasn't been paid on time. Contempts are very serious. They can result in jail time or entry of a judgment that will damage the paying parent's credit score.

13 ANSWERS The child can not dictate who he or she will live with. You will need to have your child's preferences considered through a Guardian ad Litem.

1 attorney answer Although a child's wishes are one factor among many the court must consider in determining the child's best interests, a minor child never gets to "decide" which parent to live with.

The law doesn't specify an age at which the court must take into consideration a child's preference. That's because age doesn't determine maturity level. So it's conceivable that a judge might take into account the wishes of a young, mature child, but not those of an older, less responsible one.