By AZE.US
Divorce ends the relationship between spouses, but it does not end the cost of raising a child. Food, clothing, education, healthcare and everyday necessities remain the responsibility of both parents.
The minimum monthly child-support amount in Azerbaijan currently stands at 260 manats. However, many parents say the payment is not enough to cover even a child’s basic needs.
Residents interviewed on the issue estimated that raising one child now requires at least 400–500 manats per month. Some placed the real cost much higher – from 800 to 1,500–2,000 manats – depending on the child’s age, health and educational needs.
The largest expenses typically include food, clothing, school supplies, medicine, kindergarten, private tutoring and preparatory courses. These costs also change as children grow: caring for an infant involves different expenses from supporting a school-age child or teenager.
Alimony Disputes Reach the Courts
Lawyer Zaur Amirakhov said disputes over the amount and payment of child support have long been among the most common problems arising after divorce.
According to him, a significant share of court applications in divorce-related cases concerns alimony. Some parents earn the minimum wage and argue that paying child support would leave them unable to meet their own basic needs. In some cases, this leads to attempts to evade payment.
Amirakhov stressed that 260 manats was not intended to cover the child’s entire monthly cost.
“A fixed child-support payment of 260 manats is naturally insufficient to fully support one child,” he said. “It is intended to cover only the child’s minimum needs.”
The lawyer said the system should be reviewed and the minimum amount gradually increased to reflect the rising cost of living. At the same time, he noted that courts must also consider the payer’s actual income and ability to meet the obligation.
Parents Can Ask the Court for an Increase
If the assigned payment does not cover essential expenses, the parent living with the child may petition the court to increase the amount.
The court may consider the child’s age and health, medical and educational expenses, and the financial circumstances of both parents.
There is no single amount that will meet the needs of every family. But amid higher prices, 260 manats is becoming increasingly difficult to regard as a realistic monthly budget for a child.
The central question is not whether alimony has formally been ordered, but whether the payment genuinely provides for the child’s basic needs.
AZE.US