If you pay child support, you know it can drain your bank account. So it might be surprising to learn that, due to unfortunate mistakes, men can end up paying more than they have to.

Here are three costly child support mistakes Cordell & Cordell lawyers who protect men’s rights in a divorce often hear.

Do you make them?

Letting your ex know about your new girlfriend

If you’re at all familiar with family courts, you know that they can be biased in favor of women.

So don’t give your ex motivation to ask the court for more compensation.

Don’t send her nasty emails; respond to her messages promptly and calmly. And don’t parade your new girlfriend in front of her.

In fact, try to keep your ex from finding out about your new girlfriend altogether. Child support lawyers too often hear about jealous people trying to get back at their exes for finding a new love interest. And can you really blame them? Seeing someone you loved in someone else’s arms can be excruciating.

The moral of the story is to keep your new girlfriend under the radar so she’ll have no reason to exact revenge and demand more child support.

Thinking other payments will count as child support

Instead of making formal child support payments, you may reach an agreement with your ex and pay her in a casual manner.

However, you should know that the court will often consider these informal payments to be ‘gifts’, and it won’t count them toward your child support payments.

Is it fair? No. Does it impede on men’s rights in a divorce? Yes. But it’s reality.

The best solution is simply to make official child support payments. That way, there won’t be any question as to whether your contributions will count.

Not having a good attorney

The amount you pay for child support is often determined by a formula or guidelines, depending on where you live.

A child support lawyer who is familiar with the complexities and nuances found within child support laws can help ensure you are not being taken advantage of with exorbitant support payments.