Child Support in the New Year

Child Support in the New Year

There are a number of good reasons to take a look at your child support. It is not uncommon for parents to just let the old order “ride”, not wanting to stir up the old hard feelings and conflict. While a desire to not cause problems is understandable, the under or over payment of support is a problem you have every right to correct. If it has been a couple of years since you last had support looked at, if a child has turned 12, if the medical insurance is a problem, if a child is no longer needing day care services, or there has been a significant change in income, the time is ripe for a quick look at the support payment.

In most cases, there is little that can be done to go back in time and correct problems, day care is an exception, but for every month that goes by you stand to loose out on any benefit a support modification may bring. At a minimum, you can at least confirm the income of the other parent, so that you can make an educated decision about your next step. There are new child support laws that went into effect about 15 months ago, and these new laws can make a big difference in the child support payment.

It’s easy to put off dealing with money issues, but, if you haven’t looked at support in a while, now is a good time. 2010 tax returns are being prepared, w-‘s are available, and, with the changes in the child support laws, now is a great time to get the support right.