If the New Jersey family court appoints you as the non-custodial parent in your divorce settlement agreement, the chances are that they will also appoint you as the supporting parent. Meaning, you may be ordered to pay child support at a certain amount, duration, and frequency. Continue reading to learn whether you can make child support modifications after your divorce and how an experienced Morristown child support lawyer at Graves Andrews, LLC can help you in doing so.
How is child support decided in my divorce proceedings?
Namely, the New Jersey Child Support Guidelines provide a formula for the court to use when calculating a child support agreement. However, the court understands that every family situation is different and that they may need to look at other surrounding circumstances before making their final decision. Such circumstances are as follows:
- The age and health of you and your former spouse.
- The yearly salary and earning capacity of you and your former spouse.
- The assets and liabilities of you and your former spouse.
- The medical and educational needs that your child requires.
- The standard of living you and your former spouse established for your child while you were still married.
How can I make child support modifications after my divorce?
The lives of you, your former spouse, and even your child may drastically change in the years following the finalization of your divorce. And so, you may think it is necessary to alter the child support agreement you have in place. This is when you should formally file a petition for a post-judgment modification with the court. With this request, you may have to provide evidence to support any one of the following arguments:
- Your arrangement should be modified or terminated because your child has reached the age of emancipation (i.e., 19 years old).
- Your arrangement should be modified or terminated because your child has gotten married.
- Your arrangement should be modified or terminated because your child has joined the military.
- Your arrangement should be modified or terminated because your child has gotten a job that makes them financially independent.
Importantly, your former spouse may counter this request and go as far as requesting an extension on your child support agreement. Your former spouse may make any one of the following arguments for this extension:
- Your arrangement should be extended because your child is attending higher education.
- Your arrangement should be extended because your child has special needs.
- Your arrangement should be extended because your child has incurred medical needs.
For more information on making child support modifications after your divorce, you must not hesitate in speaking with a skilled Morristown family law attorney at Graves Andrews, LLC. We await your phone call.
