If a marriage ends because of infidelity, it’s unlikely that the at-fault parent will be “punished” by having to pay more child support. In Texas and other states, child support amounts are determined largely by how much money a parent makes and how many children need to be supported. However, there are situations in which a court may impute income to a parent who is being supported by another person.

For instance, if a noncustodial parent is living with a boyfriend or girlfriend who pays their bills, a judge could take that into consideration. This is because the parent will have more disposable income to help support his or her children. Furthermore, a cheating spouse might feel guilty about committing actions that led to the divorce and separating the family. In such a scenario, the parent may be willing to pay more in support because of the guilt.

While cheating may not be a direct factor in setting child support payments, it could play a role in negotiations. This is because both the parent who cheated and the parent who was cheated on could be dealing with a variety of negative emotions such as anxiety or anger. These emotions could make it harder to settle these and other matters without going to court.

If a person is ordered to pay child support, he or she could face penalties for not doing so. The way that child support enforcement mechanisms work may depend on the specifics of a given case. However, custodial parents must generally make a compliant to the state in an effort to collect back support. Those who are struggling to make payments could ask for an order to be modified to reduce the payments.

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