Can a lawyer help me decrease my child support payments?

Child support payments are set by the court and based on your income, your spouses income and the number of kids you have. Child support is considered to be a fundamental right of the child and the court takes child support very, very seriously. Non-payment can result in wage garnishment, the loss of your drivers license, or even jail time. As such, when the court orders you to pay child support, you need to pay it. But, what if you can't? What if your income doesn't support the payments or you have a change in circumstances and you can no longer afford to pay out what the court ordered? In such cases, a lawyer may be able to help you to reduce your support payments, but only if you have a legitimate reason to do so. 

To get your payments reduced, the lawyer will have to petition the court for a reduction of payments and will have to prove that there is a substantial reason for the change. This usually means showing that your circumstances have changed since the initial child support order was set forth. You may, for example, be able to show that your required monthly expenses have gone up significantly because you have suffered a medical problem that requires you to spend a lot on medical bills. This would be a good excuse and would be a strong argument for change. However, if your monthly expenses have increased because you moved to a new luxury apartment, this is probably not going to work. 

If you are legitimately having a hard time making payments and you have a good reason for that, then you should call a lawyer as soon as possible for help before you fall behind on payments and find yourself in legal trouble.