Child maintenance Bulgaria

A maintenance case is usually filed when two people living in the form of an actual cohabitation have a common child and are separated. 

Then the child or children remain with one parent and the other either does not pay maintenance or pays it less than the needs of minors. Then, for the parent with whom the child lives, a legal interest arises in bringing a maintenance case against the other parent.

Whenever it comes to family relationships, my advice is to resolve the issue on the basis of dialogue and mutual compromise in the best interests of the child. In order for the negotiations to be successful, this should be entrusted to a family professional lawyers, the most specialized family law lawyer, to assist the parties in converging positions.

And only after all the possibilities for a peaceful and voluntary solution to the problem have been exhausted should the case be resorted to.

Child support case without marriage

In most cases, maintenance cases mainly concern children born out of wedlock. This is because a maintenance case is extremely rare in the course of the marriage, and in the case of a divorce the court is obliged to adjudicate on the issue of maintenance and in reality no other case is required.

Children born without marriage, have the same rights as those born in the marriage, and therefore entitled to alimony.

When should a maintenance case be brought?

It is not always the case that after two parents terminate an actual cohabitation, such a case is required. When both parents understand each other, do not call each other, and cover their child’s financial needs, litigation is superfluous, although in this case we personally advise the parties, given the volatility of human nature, to settle their situation after separation, at least out of court, in which they set clear boundaries on how their relationship will develop in the future.

If after separation, the other parent refuses to pay maintenance if he or she is able to do so and does not respond to attempts to resolve the issue peacefully and out of court, then without hesitation, the parent who actually took care of the minor child should bring the court with a claim for maintenance. 

Any delay, hesitation or excuse on the part of this parent not to institute proceedings is against the interests of his or her child and deprives him or her of financial resources for the upbringing and upbringing of the child.

What amount of maintenance can be claimed?

This is one of the most frequently asked questions. The answer can be given only after your lawyer becomes acquainted with all the facts and circumstances, namely, what are the needs of the child, what is the value of his / her monthly maintenance, are there any specific needs such as medicines, therapies, courses, etc. n., what is the approximate financial capacity of the defendant / usually the father / to provide alimony, and what evidence does the parent have for the expenses incurred to cover the child’s needs.

One can only say for sure what is the minimum amount of child support that cannot be sued in one case – it is 25% of the minimum wage for the country, which as of 01.01.2019 is BGN 560, which makes minimum amount of BGN 140 per month.

The maximum amount in a minor’s maintenance case will depend mainly on the child’s proven needs and, to a much lesser extent, on the parent’s ability to provide. Also important here are the income of the parent, where the child lives permanently, because contrary to the widespread opinion, he is also required by law to support his child and the amount of maintenance is divided between the mother and father in a certain proportion.

Past maintenance fees

A maintenance case usually takes a certain period of time from the actual separation to the filing of the claim in court.

 In order not to violate the rights of the child, it should be brought by the parent and a claim for maintenance for a past period, covering the moment from separation to the opening of the case.

However, this period may not be longer than one year, insofar as the law expressly provides that past due maintenance may be claimed for a maximum of 12 months before the date on which the application is filed. All the expenses from the previous period cannot be searched, which is the main reason why the case should not be delayed.

What is the cost of a maintenance case?

Maintenance cases are exempt from paying a state fee for their formation. The only cost is a lawyer’s fee according Tariff. These costs are awarded to the plaintiff if the claim is upheld in full and, therefore, it is important that, in determining the claim is well prepared in the light of the evidence available .