Child support orders are made as part of a final divorce decree. Indiana parents who have been divorced a long time might wonder how to go about changing child support orders to better suit their situation.
Changing child support order isn’t a light undertaking. In all cases, a modification has to be reviewed by the same Indiana court that issued the original order.
Why would you want to change a child support order?
Child support decisions are made immediately following a divorce and usually continue for the duration of the child’s life as a minor. If an Indiana couple divorces when the child is young, the child support order might not work as the child grows.
There are several reasons that a parent might look to modify an existing child support order. These can include situations like:
- Loss of income
- Increase in expenses
- Increase in day care costs
- Increase in cost of child care in general
- Health issues
- Increase in other parent’s income
How are child support modification decisions made?
It would be up to the parent requesting the child custody modification to file the request with the court who issued the support order. The parent requesting the modification to child support is also responsible for proving why a modification is necessary. If the parent paying child support is requesting a decrease, they must prove that they can’t pay the existing amount. Likewise, if the parent receiving child support requests a modification, they must prove that the other parent has the money to pay for it and that it’s necessary for the child. This could be to cover medical expenses, their own loss in income, or other educational or child care needs.