More often than not, once child support is set in a case it will be modified at some point in the future. This can be for a number of reasons. The most straightforward, however, are that either parent has had a substantial change in income; that there is a substantially increased or decreased need of either parent; that a parent is receiving public assistance; a change of either parents’ cost of living; extraordinary medical and/or dental expenses of the children; a change in the availability of appropriate health care coverage or a substantial change in the cost of existing health care coverage for the children; addition of work-related or education-related child care expenses or a substantial increase or decrease in existing work-related or education-related child care expenses of either parent; receipt of social security benefits by either parent or the children; a change in the residence of the children; or the emancipation of a child.
Once you satisfy one of the above criteria, it is presumed that child support should be modified if the change in the child support award pursuant to the guidelines child support award is a difference of at least $75.00 AND 20%. However, the court may modify it based on other circumstances, as long as the court finds the existing child support award to be unreasonable and unfair.
