Parker Child Support Modification
Child Support Attorneys Working with Families in Parker
In the years following a custody and child support settlement, it is common to experience changes in your life that affect your financial needs as a family. At times like these, you may need to seek a modification of child support to meet your family’s constantly evolving circumstances. If you have experienced a sudden job loss, a change in income, or a major shift in child care costs, whether you are the recipient or payer, you could be eligible for a recalculation of your monthly child support. The Parker child support modification attorneys at Plog & Stein, P.C. have years of experience assisting families with this type of modification procedure. We are ready to sit down with you to evaluate your circumstances and advise you on the right course of action to take for your family.
Understanding Modification of Child Support in Parker
The Colorado court system understands that modifications to child support orders may become necessary in the years after the establishment of your initial orders. Family finances are dynamic and the costs of raising a child are continuously changing. For example, day care in Colorado is among the most expensive in the nation. Health insurance costs are on the rise. Even shifts in your parenting time schedules can mean a drastic impact on the monthly calculation of child support due. C.R.S. 14-10-122 allows either parent to request modification if there has been a “substantial and continuing change in circumstances” since the last order was entered.
The statutory formula used to calculate your child support payments before is the same one that will be used to calculate modifications. Therefore, in order to seek a change, the impact on the equation must be at least 10%, which is the required standard. This means if the formula originally resulted in a calculation of $500 per month in child support at your salary and you are demoted to a position with less salary, if you plug your new salary into the formula and it results in a calculation of $450 per month or less, you have met the required 10% change to seek modification.
Apart from a change in income, a change in career, a significant alteration of the amount of time a child spends with either parent, a new disability, and a child reaching the age of 19 years old are all also reasons to seek modification. If you suspect that your circumstances will lead to a modification of child support, do not wait to speak to a qualified child support modification attorney in Parker. The change to your payments will usually not take effect until the date of filing and nothing is automatic. For example, if you are paying child support for three children and one of them turns 19, you must file to make the modification of child support to account for the shift from supporting three children to two.
In addition to the monthly, recurring amount of support, at times it is appropriate to modify other aspects of the child support orders. With changed financial circumstances, there may also be a need to adjust the income tax dependency exception allocation ratio or the percentages each parent pays for out-of-pocket medical costs or activities. Child support can be so much more than just that monthly amount.
Representing Parker Residents Seeking a Child Support Modification Lawyers
At Plog & Stein, P.C., we have helped many parents battle for their initial child support orders and subsequent modifications of those orders following a divorce. We work to protect you during significant financial changes and will provide a thorough analysis of the law and facts to fight for what matters most to you. When finances are strained, it can have a negative effect on both you and your children, so don’t wait. If you are seeking modification of child support in Parker or have another family need such as spousal support or legal separation cases, call us at 303-781-0322 or contact us online to put our impeccable skills to work for you. Our Parker child support modification lawyers serve clients with family law cases in Douglas County, Arapahoe, and all Denver metropolitan area courts.
