If you’ve undergone a divorce in the state of Washington, you know that negotiations over child custody can be difficult. It may seem like it took forever to get to the agreement that you’re at right now regarding child custody and child support. However, life changes, and you may need child support to be modified based on your new circumstances.
Modifying child support
As your child develops and gets interested in new things, there may be a need to change the amount of child support that you receive. It’s important to realize that child support doesn’t automatically change along with life changes that happen. Rather, you’ll need to ask the Division of Child Support to review your case and make a decision about relevant changes. This is referred to as a child support modification.
Reasons you may need modification
There are many reasons that a parent may need to modify their child support amount, but here are just a few examples of why modification may be necessary. A common reason is that you or your former spouse changed jobs. Another one is that your child’s daycare or medical costs have significantly changed. Lastly, if you’ve had another child since the last child support agreement was created, it’s likely that you want a modification of your child support payments.
Each state has different rules regarding how you can go about modifying your agreement. This typically includes having the same court that granted the first child support order look at the potential modification. Just because you and your former spouse have agreed to change the payments, your agreement will still have to go before a judge before it is considered legal and binding.
Child support is meant as a way to help ensure the safety and health of children growing up when their parents have divorced. While you may have had a child support agreement set up a while ago that worked back then, life changes may have created the need for a modification of your agreement. If you’re not sure how to go about modifying your child support agreement, it’s a good idea to contact a lawyer for assistance.
