Four Reasons To Seek An Increase In Child Support Payments
If you have sole custody of your children, you know better than anyone what their needs are and if any circumstantial changes have occurred. If there has been a change in your lives that require an update or review of child support, meet with your family law attorney to review your case and children's needs. Here are four indicators that might lead to child support increases.
1. Unexpected Medical Needs of a Child
If your child is suffering a chronic illness or disability that has recently been diagnosed, this can change the financial needs of your family. If your child will require additional care, medication and therapy that isn't covered by insurance, have your lawyer help you seek additional payments from the non-custodial parent.
2. Changing Financial Needs of Children
As children get older and have their own interests, things like after school sports and extracurricular activities can make everyday expenses go up. Other factors as kids are growing are the possible needs for braces and glasses that will add additional expenses to the budget. If there are unexpected costs with your child as they get older, an adjustment for support might be needed.
3. Loss of Income on the Part of the Custodial Parent
Income can dictate how much a child support level is set at. If you have recently lost your job or have a decrease in income, this can be grounds for the other parent to contribute more. This is taken into consideration primarily for unexpected job loss such as layoffs or furloughs that are beyond a parent's control. If a parent voluntarily takes a pay-cut or quits a job, this will hold less weight.
4. Financial Gain on the Part of the Non-Custodial Parent
If the non-custodial parent receives a promotion or has a substantial increase in income, their child support contribution should be adjusted as well. Similarly, if the non-custodial parent has come into money through an inheritance, this needs to be accounted for and child support payments might be increased.
Getting your child support plan right in the beginning that is fair and workable for everyone is ideal. Sometimes there are changes in life that we cannot foresee, and the best plans need to be augmented. Modifying your child support plan needs to be done in an official manner, no matter how amicable you are with the other parent. Work with a lawyer, like those at Bergermann Law Firm, to draw up a new plan and have this officially documented.
