[cs_content _p=’12811′][cs_element_section _id=”1″ ][cs_element_layout_row _id=”2″ ][cs_element_layout_column _id=”3″ ][cs_element_image _id=”4″ ][cs_element_headline _id=”5″ ][cs_content_seo]Child Custody and Support For Unmarried Parents\n\nSkip Ahead\n\n[/cs_content_seo][cs_element_text _id=”6″ ][cs_content_seo]We talk a lot about divorce and child custody. The two often go hand in hand, but not always.
You might be surprised to learn that about 1/3 of our family law cases are for unmarried parents, and one question we commonly hear is, “Are my rights the same as married parents?”\n\n[/cs_content_seo][cs_element_headline _id=”7″ ][cs_content_seo]Are Oregon Custody Laws for Unmarried Parents The Same?\n\nSkip Ahead\n\n[/cs_content_seo][cs_element_text _id=”8″ ][cs_content_seo]The short answer is: in Oregon, custody laws for unmarried parents are the same as for married couples. Of course, there’s more to it than that, but at a basic level, there you go.
HOWEVER, fathers don’t have legal rights unless they first establish paternity.
Once you establish paternity, however, fathers and mothers have equal legal standing.
Related Reading: Establishing Paternity\n\n[/cs_content_seo][cs_element_headline _id=”9″ ][cs_content_seo]Determining Custody\n\nSkip Ahead\n\n[/cs_content_seo][cs_element_text _id=”10″ ][cs_content_seo]There is, however, one key way custody differs for unmarried parents.
Unlike divorce, the court doesn’t automatically rule on custody and visitation. Unmarried parents must either agree on their own or pursue legal action to settle the situation.
When making these rulings, the courts consider the same factors for married and unmarried parents, as in most other custody cases. The parent who provides the most stable environment usually has the edge. Things like a parent’s relationship with the child, proximity to school, and other factors also carry weight.
Many judges also remain reluctant to shake up a child’s established routine. As a result, if they can keep a child in the same school or home, those factors often influence a ruling.
Related Reading: What Happens When the Court Appoints a Guardian Ad Litem?\n\n[/cs_content_seo][cs_element_headline _id=”11″ ][cs_content_seo]Determining Support Payments\n\nSkip Ahead\n\n[/cs_content_seo][cs_element_text _id=”12″ ][cs_content_seo]The court most often awards child support to the parent with the most overnights under the parenting plan and to the parent who cares for the child most of the time.
While child custody varies from case to case, child support in Oregon follows a rigid formula.
You plug all of the relevant information into a formula, and it gives you a number. The most common factors to determine child support are the incomes of both parents, parenting time, and, in particular, overnights, health insurance, support for other children, and daycare.
In the end, the best interests of the child ALWAYS take precedence over all other concerns.
Related Reading: Oregon Custody Factors: The Best Interest Of The Child\n\n[/cs_content_seo][/cs_element_layout_column][cs_element_layout_column _id=”13″ ][cs_element_layout_row_2 _id=”14″ ][cs_element_layout_column_2 _id=”15″ ][cs_element_layout_div _id=”16″ ][cs_element_headline _id=”17″ ][cs_content_seo]Recent Posts\n\n[/cs_content_seo][cs_element_button _id=”18″ ][cs_content_seo]See All\n\n[/cs_content_seo][/cs_element_layout_div][cs_element_layout_div _id=”19″ ][cs_element_headline _id=”20″ ][cs_content_seo]{{dc:post:title}}\n\n{{dc:post:publish_date}}\n\n[/cs_content_seo][/cs_element_layout_div][/cs_element_layout_column_2][/cs_element_layout_row_2][cs_element_image _id=”21″ ][cs_element_search_inline _id=”22″ ][cs_element_headline _id=”23″ ][cs_content_seo]Goldberg & Jones, PLLC\n\n111 SW Columbia St. Ste 1150
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(503) 731-9968 (fax)\n\n[/cs_content_seo][cs_element_image _id=”24″ ][cs_element_layout_row_2 _id=”25″ ][cs_element_layout_column_2 _id=”26″ ][cs_element_layout_div _id=”27″ ][cs_element_headline _id=”28″ ][cs_content_seo]Recent Posts\n\n[/cs_content_seo][cs_element_button _id=”29″ ][cs_content_seo]See All\n\n[/cs_content_seo][/cs_element_layout_div][cs_element_layout_div _id=”30″ ][cs_element_headline _id=”31″ ][cs_content_seo]{{dc:post:title}}\n\n{{dc:post:publish_date}}\n\n[/cs_content_seo][/cs_element_layout_div][/cs_element_layout_column_2][/cs_element_layout_row_2][/cs_element_layout_column][cs_element_layout_column _id=”32″ ][cs_element_global_block _id=”33″ ][/cs_element_layout_column][/cs_element_layout_row][/cs_element_section][/cs_content]