I Was Laid Off. How Much Child Support Am I Obligated to Pay?


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Question:

I was recently laid off. How much child support am I obligated to pay?

Answer:

Arkansas attorney Giana M. Messore

I have not been retained as your attorney so I cannot give you legal advice. However, I can offer some general information that may help you.

In the state where I practice, which is Arkansas, you will have to continue to pay court-ordered child support until the order is changed. If you are being ordered to pay child support through a custody order or divorce decree, then –if Georgia is similar to Arkansas—you can file a “Motion to Modify Child Support.”

A motion is a written request to the court. In your motion, you will have to prove to the court that there has been an ongoing “material change in circumstances” to justify a change in your child support obligation. In Arkansas, if your income has changed by 20% or $100 monthly through no fault of your own, then this could be enough to show the court there has been a change.

If you are being ordered to pay child support through a court order that was established through the state’s Office of Child Support Enforcement then, at least in Arkansas, you are required to a review of your income every 3 years.

However,  if you income has decreased, or even increased, by $100 monthly or 20% through no fault of your own, then you can request a review by the Office of Child Support Enforcement sooner.

To arrange an initial consultation to discuss divorce rights for men with a Cordell & Cordell attorney, including Arkansas divorce lawyer Giana M. Messore, contact Cordell & Cordell.

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