Millions of people have been furloughed or lost their jobs since March of 2020, and the financial struggles continue for both households and businesses. If you are unable to cover your bills, it can be tempting to take a break from making your child support payments. This is a mistake, however, as courts do not excuse payment due to unemployment, and you could face penalties for violating your support order.
However, there is an option to give you some relief from child support due to unemployment. You must petition the court to modify your child support order based on your new financial situation. Until the court grants a modification, you are expected to continue with your initially-ordered payments.
Do You Qualify for a Modification?
Judges will not grant every request for support modifications. Instead, the law requires a petitioner to demonstrate they experienced a change of circumstances that warrants the support modification. Such changes can include:
- Job loss
- Having another child from a different relationship
- Being incarcerated
- Increases in the income of the recipient parent
- Changes in custody arrangements
- Changes in the needs of the child
You want to have an experienced child support attorney presenting your case to the court to ensure you obtain the child support modification that you need. This allows the court to recalculate the amount of support owed based on your current financial picture.
Learn about Your Options from a Child Support Lawyer in California
Always remember that child support modifications are not retroactively applied. This means that the sooner you get your order modified, the better. A California child support attorney at Furubotten Law can help. We have offices in Huntington Beach, Manhattan Beach, Long Beach, and Murrieta to best serve our clients. Contact us to set up an appointment and learn more about our legal services.