Whether your divorce was recently finalized or you have been living separately from your child’s parent for many years, sometimes a child support arrangement needs modification. This is sometimes true for the non-custodial parent who is not living with the children the majority of the time. Sometimes the workforce does not treat a worker in the best way and due to a loss of job or a worker being forced to take a pay decrease the child support payment cannot be made as easily as in the past. When the child support payment is no longer do-able, there are options..
A job change with a pay decrease can be considered a substantial change in circumstances that affect the child support arrangement. Child support modifications are not retroactive, which means that you are responsible for the originally ordered amount until a modification is approved by the court. As a result, if a parent falls behind on a current child support plan, they will be expected to pay the amount owed even if a new payment schedule is enacted moving forward. To prevent getting too far behind, a parent may want to file a motion to begin the child support modification process.
Whether you took a wage decrease with a new job or your or your child’s living situation has changed, there are many reasons to seek a child support modification. It isn’t unusual to hear about a TN parent taking a wage decrease with a different job. However, if that parent is expected to pay a certain amount of child support, the new wage may not cut it. See if child support modification is a viable option for your Montgomery county family.
Source: family.findlaw.com, “Can I change a child support order after changing jobs?” Accessed Jan. 4, 2015
