By Stange Law Firm, PC on Tuesday, January 12, 2016.
For many Missouri divorcees and their children, child support remains a greater issue. After a divorce or when unmarried parents separate, the custodial parent may be entitled to child support payments from the other parents. The main purpose of child support payments is to ensure that there are adequate funds to cover the expenses that the parent incurs as a result of having the child most of the time.
This payment of child support may be a contentious issue between both parents. The amount of child support is determined by a statutory guideline. This number serves as a floor for the payments, and parents can pay more voluntarily. Departures below this amount must first be approved by the court after careful consideration of a variety of factors.
Once child support is approved by the court, you must make sure that you are consistently making the payments and on time. Arrearages on child support payments can grow rapidly and it can be difficult to pay down the arrearages.
Unlike a property settlement, child support payments can be modified by a Missouri family law court. This process is very complex and a court will grant the modification of the child support order only “upon a showing of changed circumstances so substantial and continuing as to make the terms unreasonable.”
Some may believe that a job loss would qualify as a “changed circumstances so substantial.” But the important word in the quote is “continuing,” as the court will presume that even if you lost a job, you will find a new job and a replacement for that lost income.
