Child support may be awarded by the court after a divorce. These funds are designed to help the custodial parent cover the cost of raising a child. When you feel as though the child support payments need to be modified, there is a legal way to do this.
According to the United States Census Bureau, 13.5 million parents have custody over their children under the age of 21. You’re not alone in your battle to gain more child support.
Determining How Much You Need
When you decide that you need more child support in Texas, it’s important to know how the payments are calculated by the courts. This includes looking at the monthly income and resources of the noncustodial parent as well as what you pay for your child’s health care.
There may be modifications to this based on expenses that you have to incur regularly.
If the child support payments were recently calculated, you may not be able to ask for a modification yet.
However, if the noncustodial parent has received a substantial raise or there is another life event that would contribute to the notion that you feel you’re owed more, it’s important to speak up. You want to be able to give your child the best life possible.
If the other parent is not actively involved, it can be hard to make ends meet financially. The cost of raising a child awarded to you after divorce is designed to help you meet these financial obligations.
Accountability on cost of raising a child
More and more states are making parents accountable for how the money is being used. For example, Delaware is now sending the support money on a card so that it limits where the money can be spent. If you request that your support is modified, child support accountability may be factored in.
If you’re asking for more money, you need to be sure that your child is getting what they need. This includes clothing, food, and educational tools.
Similarly, if you are the noncustodial parent and you want payments modified, you need to look to see if your child’s needs will still be met with the new amount of money.
At Eggleston Law Firm, we serve real families in the Lone Star state. Call us today so that we can talk to you more about your situation. We will see how we can help with child support payment modifications so that you get what you need to help your child.
