Many people know that child support is something that isn’t going to stop until the child is at least 18 years old. What many people don’t realize is that it is possible to get these orders modified when there are circumstances that warrant the change. Knowing what to expect during this process might help you determine if you need to take steps to change the child support order.
We realize that you just want to have a child support order that isn’t one-sided. If you are the paying parent, you don’t want to pay too much. If you are the recipient parent, you want to make sure you are getting the help due to you. This is a difficult balance that involves considering many different factors.
One of the reasons why a child support modification might be necessary is that the paying parent’s income has changed. Significant changes in income can change the amount of child support that must be paid. A raise could mean that more child support is necessary, but losing a job would mean a decrease.
Child support payments should be made a priority. If you are the paying parent and having trouble making the payments, you should do your best and file the modification petition right away. Child support modifications aren’t retroactive, so you can’t count on the court forgiving the arrears that mount up.
We know that matters dealing with child support aren’t always pleasant to handle. We are here to help you learn about the options that you have so that you can take the steps necessary to get your child support order back in order.