Support changes · flat fee
Changing child support after life changes
Child support is set from both parents' incomes, the parenting time each has and a few costs like health insurance and child care. When one of those changes enough, the order can change too.
We run the numbers under the state guidelines before you pay us anything, so you know whether the change is large enough to ask for. If it is and the other parent agrees, we draft the agreed order and file it for one flat fee.
If the other parent doesn't agree, the request goes to a hearing. That's quoted separately, in writing, before any work on it starts.
In the fee
What the flat fee covers
A guideline worksheet
The calculation with both incomes and your current parenting time, before you decide anything.
The agreed order
The modified support order, ready for both parents to sign.
Filing
Filing it with the court that made the first order, and sending copies where they need to go.
Payment records
Updating the withholding order with the employer, so the new amount is what gets paid.
Child support change questions
I lost my job. Should I stop paying until it's changed?
No. The old amount keeps running until a court changes it, and missed payments add up. Ask for the change quickly; it usually can't go back before the date you filed.
Can we just agree to a new amount between us?
You can agree, but it isn't enforceable until a judge signs it. Our agreed order is how you make the deal you already have count.
What counts as income?
Wages, overtime, bonuses, self-employment income and some benefits. The worksheet shows each line, so you can check it.
Ask us to run the numbers
Send last year's tax return and a recent pay stub for each parent, if you have them. We'll tell you whether a change is worth asking for.