I need more child support, how do I go about requesting more?

Over time, it’s inevitable that a person’s financial situation is going to change. This is particularly true for divorced or single parents. As a child grows older, their needs change – it may become more expensive to feed and clothe them. Even a sudden illness or severe injury can leave a custodial parent asking the very important question above:

I need more child support, how do I go about requesting more?

We don’t need to tell you that child support doesn’t automatically raise or lower on their own over time. Parents need to make requests with the court where a judge can then issue an Order that modifies the existing order to meet the needs of the child.

Parents who make these requests need to know that doing so requires extensive thought and evidence that shows a significant change in circumstances has occurred. If a parent is unable to show a significant change has occurred, then a Court may not grant the request, leaving the terms of an existing order still in place.

So how does one go about requesting a child support modification? The first step is typically to seek the help of a qualified family law attorney, such as one from our firm. A lawyer with experience handling modification requests is well-equipped to help you prepare your request as well as walk you through the legal process.

The next step depends on your situation. In Maryland, a parent may request a review and modification of an existing order once every three years, through the office of Child Support Enforcement. If a modification is needed sooner, a parent may file a motion to modify through the Circuit Court that issued the initial support order.

Because legal proceedings can become complicated or may not be completely intuitive, seeking help from a lawyer is always advised in situations such as this.

Source: The People’s Law Library of Maryland, “Modifying Child Support,” March 23, 2016