Reasons for Child Support Modification

Reasons for Child Support Modification:

Loss of Income

One of the most common reasons to request modification of child support payments is that you have lost your income. If you lose your job, you clearly cannot afford to pay the same amount you were paying before, so it may be lowered. Just note that you will likely need proof that you involuntarily lost the job, so quitting is not a good way to lower child support payments.

In addition, if your income is normally not steady, such as if you freelance, this will be taken into account when child support is figured out originally. This means that just because you are having a slow period with work does not mean you can get the child support payments lowered.

Change in Finances

Of course, you do not have to lose your job to have a sudden change in the amount of money you make. If your income increases, you will be expected to pay more in child support, so you need to alert the court of the change. if you do not do so, your ex probably will, which means you could get into trouble for not alerting the court on your own. Then the amount you owe will increase anyway.

Additionally, if the child's expenses suddenly increase, your payment probably will, too. If your child now needs to attend summer school or go to a private school, you will be expected to help pay for the new expenses. The custodial parent will just need to show proof that the payments need to increase.

Parenting Plan Modifications

Finally, if you decide to change the parenting plan, the child support may change, too. For instance, if you decide to keep the child at your home for the summer, your child support should decrease because you will be paying more out of pocket just to feed, clothe, and entertain him or her. So while your expenses will not decrease, the amount you owe the custodial parent will, which is a good reason to get a child support modification.

These are the main reasons to seek a change in child support, but they are not necessarily the only ones. If you think you have good reason to make a modification, you should talk to your divorce lawyer to find out if it would be feasible. If so, you can get started on the paperwork, and you can collect the evidence you will need to prove your point to the court. www.findafamilyattorney.com