Keys To Successfully Reduce Child Support

There are certain determining factors that must be considered if you want to reduce child support. During the divorce process financial information must be provided to the court which enables the court to determine the amount of child support that will need to be paid by the non-custodial parent. Typically, the income of both parents and their respective assets/liabilities are taken into consideration by the court when determining the amount of child support to be ordered.

In a situation where the non-custodial parent has limited income or many liabilities the court may order lesser amount of child support. This is especially true in cases where the custodial parent has adequate income and limited liabilities. The court will also take into consideration any child support payments owed to children from a previous marriage.

It is important for non-custodial parents to understand that the amount of child support ordered in the original decree is not a permanent figure. If the financial situation of either parent changes the court can be approached to reduce child support.

For instance, the non-custodial parent has his hours at work cut or maybe even becomes unemployed. This may be grounds for a reduction in child support. One critical factor that the non-custodial parent needs to understand is the child support ordered is in force until it is legally changed. The parent cannot stop paying the full amount just because of reduced income. They must either petition the court or child support enforcement to reduce the court ordered amount.

It is best to petition for reduction of child support before the payments are deliquent. The courts are not pleased when their order for child support has been ignored. The non-custodial parent my find themselves in contempt of court which can mean fines and or jail time. So, for the best chance at successfully reducing child support, petition the court while payments are current.

By: Lucy Frank

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Lucy Frank spent years working as a paralegal helping consumers with debt problems. She understands that child support modification is a procedure that needs to be used more often by non-custodial Fathers to avoid legal problems. Her website provides information and forms that you need to be successful.