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You can open a child support case through our office or the state child support agency. We will need information about both parents — names, addresses, employers, and income. Do you already have a custody order in place?

Good. The child support amount is calculated using a state formula based on both parents incomes, the number of children, and the custody arrangement. Bring your divorce decree, your income information, and your ex employer and income details if you know them.

Once a court order is in place, payments are usually taken directly from their paycheck through wage withholding. If they still do not pay, enforcement actions include intercepting tax refunds, suspending their driver license, placing liens on their property, and in extreme cases, jail time for contempt of court.

If both parties agree on the amount, it can be finalized in a few weeks. If the other parent contests it, there will be a hearing where a judge decides. That can take one to three months. Once the order is in place, payments typically start within thirty days.

Yes, you can file a motion to modify child support if there has been a significant change in circumstances — like job loss. However, you must continue making payments at the current amount until the court approves a modification. Do not just stop paying.

Bring your layoff notice or termination letter, your last few pay stubs, unemployment benefit statements if you are receiving them, bank statements showing your current financial situation, and any evidence of your job search efforts.

If the other parent agrees to the modification, it can be done in a few weeks. If they oppose it, a hearing will be scheduled — typically within thirty to sixty days. The judge will review both incomes and the children needs before making a decision.

Modifications are only effective from the date the motion is filed, not from when the change in circumstances occurred. That is why it is important to file as soon as possible after a major change. Any amounts owed before the modification date remain your obligation.