Changing jobs and modifying child support orders

You may think that when you change jobs you are automatically entitled to modify your child support order. This isn’t necessarily true. There are a handful of reasons that justify modifying a support order. A job change could be one of these reasons, but it isn’t in and of itself a justification. This post will go over those changes and how they might affect you.

If you can prove that you experienced a significant drop in your income due to the job change, then you can petition to have the order modified. Don’t think, however, that a change in income is all that is required. You must also show that you are unable to match your former income. This could be either because you lost your job or your skills don’t translate well to new companies. Essentially, you must prove that you didn’t just change jobs in order to seek the modification.

You must act quickly if you are unable to make your support order. Even the slightest delay could trigger severe consequences. The Court aggressively pursues parents it believes are trying to avoid child support obligations. Moreover, child support modifications are not retroactive. So any money that you owed prior to filing with the Court will not change, regardless of your current circumstances. You are almost always responsible for the past amounts.

If you are trying to get a modification to your child support order, then you should speak with an attorney as soon as you are able. Modifications are possible, in fact, they are encouraged, whenever possible and feasible. An attorney can get you on the right path to file your paperwork and negotiate a modification. Remember, changing jobs does not automatically entitle you to a reduction in child support order. You must petition the Court. An attorney can help you get that done.