Child support payments and custody issues can be complicated matters. Unfortunately, as circumstances change or because of court error or emergency, you may not be able to pay your child support.
Don’t stop making your payments altogether, as you will get yourself into further debt. There are things you can do to help you get through the situation until it’s manageable.
Always read over the original divorce or child support payments agreement to familiarize yourself with the terms of your agreement. The better acquainted you are with the agreement, the easier it will be to determine what to do.
Legal documents can be complicated, though. Of course, an experienced Child Support Lawyer can always help explain the agreement to you, but it’s good to read it yourself, too.
Go over your finances. Work out your budget and see if you could possibly lower your expenses in other areas so that you can make the child support payments to the best of your ability. Try things like stopping going out for coffee, food, and drinks or canceling your premium cable channels.
Do the best of your ability to stop spending on unnecessary things and save money so that when you are late on a payment, you’ll have a savings account to help you.
Communicate as openly as possible. If it’s a quick emergency, make arrangements with the other party informally. You may be surprised how well the other party will respond when you take initiative to talk about a new arrangement.
If the situation is more than a one-time emergency, you may want to consider getting your child support modified so that you pay a lower amount. There are a number of reasons that your child support might qualify for a modification, such as loss of a job, change in job, health problems, and additional costs to care for the child.
If any of these apply to you, you may be paying too much! It’s a great idea to contact a lawyer as quickly as possible so that you don’t get held responsible for the original amount.
Your lawyer will use their experience and knowledge to look into your specific situation and determine what you should do.
Eggleston Law Firm is here to answer all of your questions and help you modify your child support payments to an amount that you can make. Act now to avoid letting your child support payments add up which could lead to much bigger troubles down the road. We’re here for you during this difficult time. If you need to talk, contact us today for a free consultation to learn more about modifications and enforcements here in Texas.
