While child support and maintenance obligations are binding Court Orders, it is possible to modify those obligations depending on the circumstances – expecially with the help of a Fort Collins child support attorney. There are many circumstances a Court will consider when changing child support and/or maintenance obligations. These circumstances include, but certainly are not limited to: a change to a party’s income; if a party has lost their job, changes in cost of health insurance for the children or changes in the cost of the children’s daycare, or if a party’s financial needs have changed.
As life circumstances change, it may be appropriate, and even necessary, to ask the court to reconsider the amount of the obligation, or in the case of spousal maintenance, to terminate it altogether.
On the other hand, what if you are struggling financially, suffering from health problems, and one of your children has been diagnosed with a condition that not only requires expensive care but also makes it necessary for you to quit your job and stay home with him or her?
If any of the factors that went into determining the child support awarded to help cover your children’s needs ― both parents’ gross monthly income, child support or spousal maintenance you receive or are required to pay from a previous marriage or relationship, healthcare expenses, daycare, costs, and a child’s special needs―change significantly, then the court will consider a child support modification. And because life is unpredictable and your circumstances may change more than once, you may request a modification any time your financial situation and obligations have undergone a substantial change.
Remember, until a Judge approves a modification of your support obligations, they are not changed at all. Only a Judge can approve a modification of support obligations. Therefore, make sure you are protecting yourself and speak with The Law Office of Stephen Vertucci, LLC to ensure you are modifying support obligations correctly and in a way that protects your interests.
If you live in or around Fort Collins, CO, and you feel that you need a change in your current child support order, call the Law Office of Stephen Vertucci, LLC for the experienced, professional help you need.
As with child support, spousal maintenance payments can be modified in certain circumstances. If your maintenance award or obligation was Ordered as “modifiable”, then you may have the opportunity to modify the maintenance if you can demonstrate the appropriate evidence justifying a change. Maybe you have lost your employment and no longer have the ability to pay maintenance. Maybe your health has changed and you can no longer earn what you could previously and you need more maintenance. Maybe circumstances have changed and the party who is paying maintenance now has a greater ability to pay maintenance and it should be increased.
Attempting to modify your maintenance can be challenging. Contact The Law Office of Stephen Vertucci at 970-900-1800 to discuss how strong, or weak, your case is to modify maintenance.