Child Support Modifications

Are you having trouble making your child support payments?  Don’t feel ashamed if you are.  Many parents who are ordered to pay child support find it difficult to keep up with weekly payments.  A child support modification can be filed when one party can show a substantial and continuing change of circumstances.  A child support modification can typically only be filed 12 months after the previous modification; this means you will have to wait 12 months before asking the court to modify the order from the last time it was changed in most circumstances.

Have you lost your job or changed employment?  Become disabled?  Have you started having more overnight visitations with your child?  Is your child in school now and your previous child support order was established when your child was still in daycare?  There are many factors that could affect the amount of your child support obligation.  The bottom line is this:  If you have a child support order you cannot justify, you need to modify. 

A modification is only effective back to the day it was filed with the court.  If you find it difficult to keep up with your child support payments, time is of the essence.  You should contact an attorney as soon as possible to help you get a fair and accurate child support order.

In my experience, a parent who is ordered to pay a fair amount of child support will pay more consistently than a parent ordered to pay an unreasonable amount of child support.  Think about it, when someone gives you a goal you can meet, you do it and do it proudly.  If someone demands the impossible, you get frustrated and quit.  

If you have a question about modifying a child support order, or any question involving family law, contact Attorney Sonya Seeder at (317) 456-7942 or E-mail Attorney Seeder.