Paying child support can be favorable for some but burdensome for others. It’s a huge responsibility that you cannot ignore or take lightly. But what if a child support lawyer helps you decrease your child support payments?
Yes, that is possible. In divorce cases, both the parents or the child’s legal guardian can ask for a modification. The amount of child support directed by the court is likely to increase or decrease.
You may petition the court and establish child support yourself. However, hiring child support will make your life a hell of a lot easier. You cannot figure out how much child support you need to pay with a few online resources.
In a bid to save a few bucks, you may end up spending lots of money and time. There are many tools and resources that only a child support lawyer can comprehend. A lawyer can help you with any change on child support payments.
With the help of a child support lawyer, you can negotiate and lower the payable child support amount. Read on to learn how a lawyer can help decrease your child support payments.
What is Child Support?
Child support is an ongoing, recurring monetary payment made by a parent to support a child financially. This financial benefit is given to the child whose parents are not living together.
Child support covers expenses for food, clothes, housing, school costs, and other activities. An obligor pays child maintenance to an obligee. The obligor is mostly a non-custodial parent, while the obligee can be a custodial parent, a guardian, or a caregiver.
A custodial parent may pay child support to a non-custodial parent based on the jurisdiction. The divorced or separated parents have a fundamental right to receive child support.
Based on a state guideline, child support depends on the income of both parents. The non-custodial parent must continue paying the amount once a child support amount is ordered. And, the child will receive the amount until a court issue another child support order.
So, what is a child support order?
A child support order determines how much the obligor must pay for child support. Besides, it says when to pay the amount, how often, and for how long. The child support order comes in writing and is signed by the judge.
Also, the child support order declares which parent is ordered to pay the amount. It states the monthly due amount, responsibilities to help pay for daycare, an expiry date for the payments.
A child support order will also contain a brief summary of the penalties for non-payment. Moreover, it declares an overview of what must be done to change the child support order.
Can a child support order actually be changed?
In changed circumstances, a child support order may change over time. The obligor can appeal for a change in the child support amount. The obligor most often appeals for a reduction due to changes in his financial situation.
Loss of job is the common reason for lowering child support amount. How many times one can change child support is almost always limited. Before requesting a change, a certain period needs to be passed.
So if there is no limit on the child support order modifications, the court would be loaded with requests. Parents won’t ever be happy with the order modified by the court.
What a Lawyer Will Do to Decrease Child Amount?
Child support lawyers are experienced in child-related issues like custody, support, and visitation. Family law or divorce attorney actually does all these things. No one can be referred to as a “child support lawyer.”
A lawyer specializing in child custody can establish and modify child support orders. However, a modification in the child support amount requires a court hearing in front of a judge.
Here an experienced attorney can help with hearing preparation, gathering evidence, and presenting the case.
Hearing preparation
At first, the parents will need to establish child support in the hearing or trial of a temporary order. Do you have an existing child support order? A family law attorney can still help change the amount through a modification request.
The attorney will act quickly and gather all necessary evidence, e.g., pay stubs, tax returns, etc. However, a modification in child support payments requires a hearing in front of a judge.
Calculating and Changing Child Support Amount
Child support guidelines help parents and judges figure out the amount in most states. However, the amount described in these guidelines is not always appropriate.
So, a family law lawyer can help figure out the exact amount to be paid here. Also, the lawyer can help decrease the amount. He can also prove why it is required to reduce the amount to the judge.
How Can a Lawyer Help Decrease Child Support Payments?
A family law attorney will first file a petition requesting the court for a decrease. The rules are different in every state about when to decrease child support. In most states, you’ll need to prove why you cannot pay child support.
There might have been considerable changes in circumstances preventing you from paying child support. Notable changes mean that something big has happened in your life, such as loss of income, health issues, etc.
The changes have happened since you entered the first child support order. Showing all this evidence, the court will convince the judge to reduce child support. Hiring a lawyer to reduce child support payments will result in more successful results.
