When you part ways with your partner, you must pay for child support so your kids can continue living decent lives. It’s not a problem when you have money coming in, but when you lose your job, develop a disability, or your business stops doing as well as it used to, you have something to worry about.
Thankfully, when this happens, there are several things you can do. These things include:
Seek knowledge
You need a modification when your money isn’t coming in as well as it should. The first thing you should do is to look into the child support laws in your state and understand them.
It also doesn’t hurt to consult your child support lawyers to understand your limits.
Move with haste
When many people cannot pay their child support, they sit back and try to source money from other areas. Don’t do this.
You should note that any unpaid child support can’t be discharged even in bankruptcy and can’t be reduced retroactively.
To protect yourself, you should move with haste and secure a child support order before the amount accumulates and you cannot repay it.
You might have some challenges securing the order, but if you have an experienced attorney, this won’t be a problem.
Reach an agreement with the other parent
Sometimes the courts might take longer to issue the order, but you can salvage the situation by discussing it with the other parent.
If you are still on good talking terms, reach out to them and explain the situation you are going through. If you don’t have a good relationship with your ex, ask your attorney to talk to them.
While the agreement between the two of you isn’t a substitute for an order modification, the court will strongly consider your agreement as parents. This might give you an easier time when looking to decrease the amount you regularly contribute.
Don’t stop making the payments.
Regardless of why your income has been reduced, it would help if you didn’t stop making the payments. Yes, you can reduce the payments, but you shouldn’t stop making them.
This is even more important if you aren’t on good talking terms with your ex-partner.
Remember that when you abruptly stop making the payments, your partner will have the upper hand, as they will show that you are defying the court order.
The right move is to continue making the payments regardless of their size as you continue sorting out the issue with the court and you get a modification.
Gather the necessary proof
Before the court modifies the amount you pay for child support, you must show proof of the changes you have undergone. For example, if your business has gone down, you must produce bank statements as proof.
The same applies if you have been fired or your salary slashed – you must show proof.
You should note that for the court to order a modification, the changes should have occurred after the court had entered the child support. This is especially important in the case of a disability.
In such a case, you will need to work with a doctor to show that your disability is recent, preventing you from paying the ordered amount.
Parting shot
These are some of the things you should do when you have changes in your life that prevent you from continuing to make the agreed payments. To have an easy time navigating the legal system, work with experienced family lawyers Fairfax VA that will hold your hand.
