Tennessee family law judges know that life can change in a moment and a person’s financial situation can go from bad to worse very quickly. As such, if you’re paying monthly child support payments and you suddenly lose your job, you might be able to submit a request to modify your child support payments in order to lower your monthly obligations.
There are a variety of circumstances that could prompt a Tennessee court to grant your reduction in child support payments. Here are a few common situations:
- You lost your job, and now you’re earning substantially less or nothing at all. Depending on your overall financial situation, if a Tennessee court deems that you’ve suffered a substantial change in your circumstances and income, you may be granted a reduction in child support payments.
- You suffer a sudden health calamity. Imagine you suffer a stroke or a heart attack — or you contract cancer — and suddenly, you can’t work anymore. If you’re in a situation like this, you might not be able to earn an income and a court might grant the child support reduction your need.
- Some other event results in your financial loss. Any number of events could happen that have a major impact on your financial situation. Anything to this affect could result in you getting a reduction in child support payments.
Child support reductions may be temporary or permanent depending on the likely permanence of your nature. Ultimately, spouses who are having trouble meeting any of their post divorce financial obligations will want to take swift action to resolve the situation before they get behind on their bills.
Source: The Law Office of Steven C. Girsky, “Post Divorce Modifications,” accessed Jan. 26, 2018
