Anchorage Family Law Blog For Men

Parents in Alaska who want to spend more time with their children may need to petition a court for more visitation. If visitation has been denied by the court or by a custodial parent, there are several things that non-custodial parents can do.

It is rare for courts to deny a biological parent all visitation. In some cases, a parent may be denied visitation if the court believes that they pose a threat to a child's mental or emotional well-being. Most of the time a parent can request a modification of an order suspending visitation after completing requirements imposed by a court such as drug testing, parenting classes or anger management.

Alaska fathers who have lost custody of their children may be able to get it back. The first step in the process is to determine why custody was taken away. In some cases, it may be because a father violated a court order or is being accused of abusing or neglecting the child. Therefore, a judge determined that it wasn't in the child's best interest for a dad to retain custody.

In some cases, the court will place conditions on how or when a dad can regain custody of his children. For instance, it may be possible to get custody back after completing counseling or completing a drug or alcohol treatment plan. In many cases, simply adhering to a court order is the fastest and most effective way to get custody back in a timely manner.

Because of changes related to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), alimony payers in Alaska will no longer be allowed to deduct payments for tax purposes. Recipients will also no longer have to pay taxes on payments. Additionally, the TCJA rule changes will affect retirement account options for divorced couples on either side of the alimony equation. However, the new law will not apply to alimony arrangements already in place before the TCJA officially goes into effect.

With alimony payment through retirement funds under existing rules, a spouse would have to pay to receive a deduction. But with a proper divorce agreement, funds could be transferred from retirement accounts in a way that benefits the paying spouse. If an ex-spouse makes payments from an IRA, for instance, they will be using funds that would have otherwise been taxed if they had been withdrawn. The receiving party, however, would have to pay tax on money taken from the IRA. Such transfers are one-time transactions that would need to spelled out in a divorce agreement.

Parents in Alaska who are getting a divorce may face some challenges, but they can take steps to make coparenting less difficult. For example, parents should make a plan to communicate about any parenting issues that may arise. They should not use their children as conduits for communication between parents.

Neither parent should shut the other parent out of the child's life. They should work together to try to keep rules between households reasonably consistent, but if this is not possible, neither parent should badmouth the other. Parents should not put the children in the middle of conflict or argue in front of the children. Unless the other parent is putting the child in danger, parents should also not use the threat of cutting off access to punish or manipulate one another. Children should not be questioned about the other parent.