Life changes quickly, but even when major changes occur, your child still has needs. At the Law Offices of Andrew S. Guisbond in Massachusetts, we often counsel clients on how to ensure that the child’s other parent honors the child support order.
You may feel that you should be lenient on your former spouse because he or she was recently laid off and does not have an income. Alternately, you may feel upset that your child’s other parent suddenly informs you that he or she can no longer watch your child while you are at work, but this will create a child care burden that your ex refuses to share. Regardless of your personal thoughts on the matter, though, your child’s other parent is breaking the law by failing to abide by the original court order.
Your former spouse must take legal action to avoid being in contempt of court. According to MassLegalHelp, he or she can request a modification of the child support order if one or more of the following applies:
- At least one parent has experienced a significant change in income.
- There has been a change in child care expenses or other costs of caring for your child.
- There is a change in a parent’s health insurance choices.
A positive change requires a modification, too. For example, if your former spouse gets a job that has excellent health insurance benefits, or that involves a significant raise, you can file the paperwork to request a modification.
More information about options for modification or enforcement of court-ordered child support or custody matters is available on our webpage.
