How Can You Have Your Child Support Payment Recalculated?
One of the biggest decisions that will be made by the court during the divorce process is the amount of the child support payment. Regardless of the type of divorce that you are seeking or that you had in the past, it is critical to understand how the state calculates child support and views child support responsibilities. How can you have your child support payment recalculated?
How Is Child Support Decided in Maryland?
Maryland offers an outline of their child support guidelines online to help you determine approximately how much child support will be payable. Different guidelines are used depending on whether or not primary physical custody to one parent is awarded or shared physical custody is awarded. Some of the factors that are considered include:
- Number of minor children
- Age of minor children
- Monthly income pre-taxes
- Existing child support and alimony payments
- Percentage share of income
- Work-related childcare expenses
- Health insurance expenses
- Extraordinary medical expenses
- Cash medical support
- Additional Expenses
- Overnights with each parent
- Percentage of time with each parent
- And more
Because the child support payment can be complex, it’s important to work with a skilled lawyer during the divorce process. The attorneys at Lebovitz Law, LLC will help you to make your case for custody and child support. If your child support payment was already decided and you are looking to have it recalculated or revised, we are also here to help.
Can Child Support Be Lower or Higher Than the Amount Calculated by the Guidelines?
It is very challenging to get Maryland courts to set the child support payment amount lower than the amount dictated by the guidelines. In order to make the argument, you will need to show that the amount is unfair or unjust and that it is in the best interest of your child or children to lower the amount. In contrast, if the combined income of both parents is higher than $15,000 per month, the court does not need to use the guidelines to calculate the amount. In these cases, it could be significantly higher than the amount dictated by the calculator. The attorneys at Lebovitz Law, LLC can help to make your case before the court and ensure an optimal outcome for you and your family.
How Can I Change the Amount of My Child Support Payment?
First, you should meet with an attorney to determine whether or not it is appropriate to file for child support modification. The court takes modification requests very seriously, so you should never attempt to file them out of animosity towards the co-parent. Use the Maryland child support guidelines to recalculate the amount you or the other parent would owe based on new information. If the outcome is significantly different than it was during the initial hearing, you could have a case.
Next, it’s important to work with child support lawyers like the attorneys at Lebovitz Law, LLC. We can assess your case and determine the best path forward. Before you start the child support modification process, we can help you evaluate the benefits of fighting the current payment amount, assessing the associated costs and determining the likelihood of success. We can also assist in working with the other party to arrive at a modification outside of court to present to the judge.
Assistance with Child Support Payment Modification Cases from the Attorneys at Lebovitz Law, LLC
Whether you are searching for an experienced lawyer to assist with your divorce case, child custody case or other issues, the attorneys at Lebovitz Law, LLC can help. To learn more about how we can assist you, please contact us today at (410) 828-0680.
