Your boss recently informed you that they’re going to be letting you go. It’s a change that you didn’t see coming, and it’s going to have serious ramifications in many areas of your life. You’ll have to start searching for a new job, of course, but you also need to change your monthly budget.
Part of that budget is paying child support. Perhaps you got divorced years ago, and there haven’t been any problems with the support order because you had a good job. But now that you’ve lost that job, does it mean you can stop paying child support?
Seeking a support order modification
In some cases, yes, losing your job could be a reason to eliminate support or modify it so that you don’t have to pay as much every month. The court assesses your income and expenses when making the initial order. If these have significantly changed, they can reassess things and issue a modified order. This changes your legal responsibilities.
The key is to ensure that you go through the court process and seek this modification immediately. Do not just stop paying child support. Do not ignore the other co-parent. Don’t assume that you can just make these modifications yourself. They could cause significant legal problems, including issues with custody rights. You must have the court modify the order so that it fits your new budget moving forward.
As you can imagine, these types of issues often lead to legal disputes. It’s critical that those involved understand all of their options and the steps that they need to take.