At the time of your divorce, you and your ex-spouse likely came to agreeable terms for child support. However, because circumstances can change throughout your life, terms that were once feasible to handle may become more difficult to abide by. If your child support agreement becomes a hindrance that seriously impacts your life, you may wish to consider seeking changes to your agreement.
If you feel that a child support modification could suit your particular circumstances you may wish to consider these steps:
- Act in a timely manner: Because your support agreement remains legally binding until a modification approval occurs, taking action as soon as you recognize a problem may be in your best interests. If you have trouble meeting your obligation and do not work toward changing your terms quickly, you could fall behind on payments and face serious repercussions.
- Record significant changes: Modifications often only come about if a parent has faced a significant change in circumstances. Therefore, if you have lost your job, suffered a serious injury, faced another substantial income change or gone through other similar aspects that may affect your ability to make support payments, keeping records of those changes may prove useful if you choose to seek a modification.
- Discuss terms with other parent: In some cases, you may have the opportunity to come to modified terms with the other parent on your own. Rather than go through litigation in order to pursue changes, you and your ex-spouse could potentially utilize mediation to reach agreeable terms.
- Follow proper legal channels: In order to consider your support changes legally binding, you must file the modification request with the court. Even if you and your ex-spouse come to terms on your own, the appropriate court must issue the new support order. Without court approval and documentation, considerable issues could arise.
If you are interested in seeking a modification to your child support agreement, you may wish to gain more information on this potential option. Because the well-being of your children is undoubtedly a top priority, understanding how support changes could help you stay on top of your payments may allow you to continue effectively providing for your kids.
In order to find out whether your circumstances could warrant a modification, you may wish to consult with experienced California family law attorneys. Legal professionals could help you examine your situation and determine your best options for remaining in control of your child support obligations.
