Law Offices of Andrew S. Guisbond
Arrange a free initial consultation: 617-380-7643
  • Home
  • About
    • Reasons To Choose Us
    • Your First Consultation
    • Andrew S. Guisbond
    • Rebecca Shawver
    • Candice Labbe
  • Practice Areas
    • Divorce
    • Child Custody
    • Family Law
    • Prenuptial Agreements
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Home
  • About
    • Reasons To Choose Us
    • Your First Consultation
    • Andrew S. Guisbond
    • Rebecca Shawver
    • Candice Labbe
  • Practice Areas
    • Divorce
    • Child Custody
    • Family Law
    • Prenuptial Agreements
  • Blog
  • Contact
Law Offices of Andrew S. Guisbond
  • Home
  • About
    • Reasons To Choose Us
    • Your First Consultation
    • Andrew S. Guisbond
    • Rebecca Shawver
    • Candice Labbe
  • Practice Areas
    • Divorce
    • Child Custody
    • Family Law
    • Prenuptial Agreements
  • Blog
  • Contact
Email
CALL

Dedicated Family Law Support In Boston And Beyond

  1. Home
  2.  » 
  3. Uncategorized
  4.  » 
  5. What should I know about retroactive modification?

What should I know about retroactive modification?

On Behalf of Law Offices of Andrew S. Guisbond | Jan 8, 2021 | Uncategorized |

After a divorce, there may come a time when you will need to request a modification to your child support. Whether you receive or pay support, you have the right to request a change if there is something in your life circumstances that changes substantially.

According to the General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, most of the time, any changes resulting from a modification request will go into effect upon the order from the court. However, it is possible that the court may decide to make the modification retroactive.

Retroactive ruling

In some cases where you have a pending complaint for a period of time, the court may decide to make the ruling retroactive. The law states this may happen with the retroactive period going back to the filing of the initial complaint.

So, if you file a request for modification on July 1, but the court does not hear your case until August 25, the court may be able to make the changes go into effect since July 1. If your request was for an increase to your support payments, then your former spouse would have to pay the increased amount dating back to July 1.

The court’s decision

You should note that modification decisions, including making them retroactive, are completely up to the court. If you have a simple monetary change, the court does have formulas to use, but in general, the process is very subjective and up to the interpretation of the court, which means it is possible for the court to decide not to make a ruling retroactive

Recent Posts

  • How are military benefits like TRICARE handled post-divorce?
  • How do courts divide cryptocurrency in a divorce?
  • Can Maryland lose jurisdiction of interstate child custody cases?
  • Can prenups cover pet ownership?
  • How can you prepare for divorce?

Archives

Categories

  • Child Custody
  • Divorce
  • Family Law
  • Modifications And Enforcement
  • Property Division
  • Uncategorized

RSS Feed

Subscribe To This Blog’s Feed

Law Offices of Andrew S. Guisbond

Address

One Center Plaza
Suite 420
Boston, MA 02108

Phone

617-380-7643

Boston Office
Review Us

Set Up A Free Initial Consultation Today

Law Offices of Andrew S. Guisbond

Address

One Center Plaza
Suite 420
Boston, MA 02108

Phone

617-380-7643
800-441-7573

Boston Office
Review Us

© 2025 Law Offices of Andrew S. Guisbond • All Rights Reserved

Disclaimer | Site Map | Privacy Policy | Business Development Solutions by FindLaw