St. Paul child support attorney Allison Maxim explains that a significant change in either of the parents’ circumstances can compel a parent to seek a modification in child support.
Transcription
It’s possible after a divorce to modify child support. There’s a modification statute. Once your divorce is final and child support is set in your divorce decree then it becomes subject to the modification standards in the statute. What that means is if the other parent’s income changes or if your income changes, say your income goes down and the other parent’s income goes up, you can ask the court to modify child support. What you have to show is there’s a 20% difference in what the amount of child support currently paid is versus what it should be under the new circumstances. You have to show a change of circumstances, and you have to show that you meet that 20% difference.
There’s other ways child support could be modified as well. For example, if medical expenses, there’s a change with that or the medical insurance premiums. Also, if there’s a change in day care expenses. Child support can be modified to reflect the new amount of day care.