Can A Parent Be Awarded Child Custody If They Do Not Have a Job?
Determining child custody involves many factors. While some factors are more important than others, it is important to know that one’s employment is never a basis for determining custody. Although, you may be unemployed at the moment, the court will not deny you custody of your child simply because you don’t have a job.
The number one factor that the court looks to when making decisions involving children is what is in the best interest of the child. For this reason, the court will more closely look at such things as your living situations, for example. Is it a safe and stable environment? Are you living in a home? In an apartment? With family members? It doesn’t matter as long as the environment that you’re bringing the child into is a safe environment that will not cause any harm to the child. While your unemployment and other seemingly negative factors may be looked at during your child custody case, you can still get custody of your child as long as the court determines that it is in the child’s best interest for you to share time with your child.
One of the more prominent ways that unemployment plays into child custody is when it warrants the awarding of child support. Depending on the custody arrangement, you may be entitled to receive child support from the other parent in order to help you to take care of your child while you are unemployed at the moment.
It is the courts position that both parents have an obligation to take care of the child, they do not want to see the child to become a ward of the state, and thus, it will require you to eventually make an income so that you are able to support the child. While you do have an obligation, as well as the other parent, to make sure that you are both taking care of the child, remember, that there is no requirement to have a job in order to get custody of your child.
If you have questions regarding child custody, divorce, child support, or any other Family Law related issue, do not hesitate to contact our office to speak with our Family Law attorney. Our office can be reached at (702) 998-1188, info@ljlawlv.com, or by scheduling a consultation online.
For additional information on child custody and a variety of other Family Law topics, be sure to check out our Family Law blog, podcast, and Family Law TV playlist on Youtube.