Hey there, and welcome back. We’ve been talking about a subject that hits hard for many parents during the summer season – the issue of taking on additional expenses because you’re now spending more time with your kids, but not being able to make smaller child support payments. As we mentioned in the previous article, child support payment amounts are calculated and ordered by the family court. If you want to pay less in child support, you can’t simply decide to make smaller payments, no matter how logical your argument may seem. So what options are available to you?
If you want to make smaller child support payments in future…
There have been situations where divorced couples work out modifications to their child support between themselves, without including the court in the process, but we don’t recommend that. If your ex agrees to let you pay less child support, and then several months down the line you have a big fight about something and they change their mind on the issue of money, it certainly wouldn’t be the first time an angry ex reported the other parent for failure to pay sufficient child support (even if they had privately agreed to the reduction). And you wouldn’t have a legal leg to stand on!
The court rarely does seasonal reductions in child support.
It’s extremely rare that family courts in Michigan will allow you to reduce your child support payments for a season. One of the main reasons that courts are reluctant to modify amounts for short periods of time is that it makes it extremely difficult for a Friend of the Court to garnish wages when the quantities keep fluctuating. By picking a fixed amount for a person to pay, and then sticking with that amount every single month, it is easier for employers to make payments to FOC in your stead every two weeks, or every month, depending on when your payments are due.
Make sure you go through proper channels when modifying child support.
If you’re hoping to have your child support payments reduced, you shouldn’t expect to do it for just the months of summer. However, if you usually end up caring for your kids for a large part of the summer, or pay substantial sums of money for vacations over the summer, then you may want to address that issue with the court and have your child support payment reduced to reflect those annual expenses. Discuss your options with your lawyer, and find out what options are available to you – you may be surprised!
The Kronzek Firm can help you with your child support concerns.
Here at The Kronzek Firm, our experienced family law attorneys have handled many child support modification cases, and been able to help countless parents get fair results. We’ve also helped many moms and dads adjust their parenting time orders, modify their custody agreements, and deal with all sorts of other parenting-related post-divorce concerns. So if you need help, call 866 766 5245 today, and get help from the pros. We’re here 24/7 to help you figure out your best future with your kids.