Act quickly when you can no longer afford to pay child support

Act quickly when you can no longer afford to pay child support

On behalf of Stange Law Firm, PC posted in Child Support on Friday, May 22, 2020.

Getting a court order determining the amount of child support you must pay does not always mean you can afford the payments. However, you cannot simply stop making your payments, as this would result in significant legal consequences. It may also affect your relationship with your children.

In our experience serving Saint Louis County families, we have learned that nearly all parents want to provide for their kids. Unfortunately, life sometimes has an annoying way of making it hard to accomplish this goal. Losing a job, having your work hours reduced, facing a personal medical emergency – all these circumstances and many others can affect your ability to meet your child support obligations.

When life dishes out a little more than you can handle in terms of expenses, do not even consider abandoning your support obligations. Instead, take immediate steps to request a modification to your existing child support order. We also suggest these additional steps when you are facing financial hardships.

  • Seek guidance from an attorney who can help you petition the court for a modification as quickly as possible. Your lawyer can also offer you tips that might increase your odds of success.
  • Reach out to your co-parent to see if you can agree to modify your court order. You will still need to formalize the change, but it can help to keep your co-parent notified about your changing circumstances.
  • Gather documentation to show the court why you need to change your support order. Examples of good documentation include pay stubs proving that your earnings have decreased and official treatment records in the case of significant medical hardships.

If you need to learn more about modifying a child support order in Missouri, we invite you to continue browsing our family law web pages.

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