Child support payments in Seattle may not be always be the final word. There may be certain circumstances that arise after a divorce that may necessitate a modification in the child support payment plan.
Understandably, these are extremely emotional and sensitive matters, and must be handled with great tact and caution. One of the most common situations which necessitate a modification to a child support payment plan is loss of income. Seattle child-support lawyers have found a substantial increase in the number of parents reporting an inability to pay child support as a result of a change in financial status.
Those cases simply ballooned over the past 4 years, as the recession set in leading to an increase in unemployment. Parents who lost jobs or suffered a dramatic drop in their income found themselves unable to make monthly child support payments.
Other situations necessitating child support modifications are serious injuries leading to disability or debilitation, and remarriage of the parent. All of these are significant life changes that will substantially impact your ability to continue making child support payments.
In some cases, there may be a change in the financial needs of the child. Further, a custodial parent may have reason to seek an increase in child support, and may therefore file a petition for modification of child support payments. If the child suffers from a health condition which necessitates expensive medical treatment, or if the child becomes involved in additional activities after school which also require additional expenses, the parent may seek a modification to the child-support plan.
These modifications are not easy to affect. A noncustodial parent must need to show a substantial change in the situation in order to be eligible for a reduction in support payments, while a custodial parent must also show a need for increased support in order to make a case for increase in support.
