In the state of Washington, there is no standard answer to what documents must be provided or what financial documents can be requested during a case to determine child support. Each county produces their own set of Local Rules specific to family law. Each county has a specific list of financial documents that are required to be filed with the court by each party at the start of the petition. When the financial documents provided by a party are insufficient for properly determining the amount of support due, additional requests may be necessary. This is the point at which the Local Rules of each county vary greatly. Some counties stipulate that each party is permitted only 100 interrogatories while other counties have no specific provisions addressing discovery in the Local Rules specific to family law.
When a disagreement occurs between what one party has asked for and what the other party is willing to provide, it may be necessary to place the matter before a judge or commissioner. An experienced attorney will understand local precedence and trends within the court system that affect the outcome of a motion to compel.
