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Is it possible to lower your child support payments?

Attorneys usually find it difficult to provide a definitive answer to questions like this one about lowering child support payments. Not knowing anything about a person and his or her divorce makes it even more challenging to offer answers. However, in the interest of keeping divorced New York parents aware of their options, this post will highlight a few ways that it may be possible to have your support payments lowered.

Before going forward, it is important to understand that it is up to a court to make final decisions about both child custody and support. Even if you and your co-parent agree to modify a court order, it is a judge’s responsibility to ensure that your child’s needs remain filled. With that said, below you will find three ways to try lowering your financial obligations.

Health insurance coverage

Adding your child to your health insurance plan may result in lower support payments. You may qualify to have the amount you cover in insurance deducted from your support obligations.

40-hour workweek

Working a full 40 hours weekly may not lower your payments, but it could give you a few extra bucks. If you do not exceed 40 hours of work each week, your payments probably won’t increase.

Have your court order reviewed

If you are struggling to meet your obligations, consider taking your story to an attorney. Your lawyer can review your support order as well as your finances to look for ways to lower your payments.

As stated before, there exists no guarantee that any of these options will sway a court. However, the fact that you keep caring for your child amid financial hardships can carry a lot of weight with judges that make important decisions about child custody and support.