Can a Lawyer Help Me Reduce My Child Support Payments?

August 1, 2021

Bills, bills, bills—it’s not just an old Destiny’s Child song. Everyone has bills to pay, and when your financial circumstances change, your child support payments may be insurmountable. You can’t fall behind on them, lest you risk serious legal consequences. On the other hand, if you’re having trouble making ends meet, you don’t want to lose your home or go hungry, either. A child support attorney may be able to help you renegotiate child support payments.

How is child support determined?

Child support is usually determined by a pre-determined “schedule”: if you earn X amount of money, then you will pay Y amount of support. This is affected by certain other factors, such as how much time you spend with your child and your personal expenses. Having a child support lawyer present during hearings is a very good idea, since they can help advocate for you to get affordable payments.

Why is it important to pay child support?

You may disagree with the amount of child support you were ordered to pay, but it’s crucial that you pay it—and if you can’t, you need your attorney to renegotiate the payments. For example, perhaps you were able to make the payments until you lost your job last month. Don’t neglect to pay. Contact a child support attorney immediately, or else you could face serious consequences.

What happens if you don’t pay? You could be subject to wage garnishment, revocation of a driver’s or professional license and even jail time. That’s not conducive to seeing your children, let alone earning more money in the future. An attorney will ensure you’re heard in court without subjecting yourself to frustrating and humiliating consequences.

How a child support lawyer can help

If you get to the point where you can’t afford your child support payments, an attorney can help you approach the court to renegotiate. This is called a request for child support modification. Your child support attorney will help you go over your financial records and prove to the judge that you need to recalculate how much you pay. They’ll present arguments as to why you should be allowed to deviate from the predetermined schedule or child support amount.

When you need to modify child support, the greater the amount of documentation you can provide, the better. For example, you may need to provide bank statements, bills, paystubs and other financial declarations that will support your case. Your child support lawyer will let you know what kind of information will be required—or most helpful—for your case.

Ultimately, when it comes to modifying child support, you’ll need to secure the help of a child support lawyer. Although some people choose to represent themselves, you want an advocate who understands how the system works. They’ll be able to use that knowledge to your advantage, so you pay a fair amount—and still get to see your children.
When you need a child support lawyer, call The Law Offices of Granoff & Kessler today.

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