Many people in Indiana are currently paying or receiving child support payments each month. Child support is often ordered during divorces when the couple has minor children, but may also be ordered for parents who were never married.
These obligations can be determined and ordered when the children are fairly young, and could be in place for many years.
During the time that parents are ordered to pay child support, they may experience various changes in their lives that affect their financial circumstances. Parents may lose jobs, need to move locations for a job, receive promotions or take new higher-paying jobs and experience other changes as well.
Based on the changes that the parents experience, the original child support obligation may no longer be appropriate. Parents may be able to modify their child support obligation in certain circumstances to better reflect their current financial situation.
Situations when people can modify child support
There are two different situations when this can occur. One is a substantial, permanent change in the circumstances. It cannot be a change that only lasts a short period of time.
The other is any change in circumstances that would mean the calculation of the child support obligation would change by at least 20% since the day the order was issued. This situation applies only to child support orders that are at least one year old.
When big financial changes occur, parents may need to review their current child support obligations to determine if they should modify their current payments. Experienced attorneys understand when to modify child support orders and may be able to guide one through the process.