Whether you find yourself on the giving or receiving end, a time may come when you want to change the amount specified in your child support order. Maybe you now have more child-related expenses than you once did, or perhaps you no longer earn the salary you did when the order went into effect, making it difficult for you pay the determined amount comfortably.
Regardless of your reasoning for doing so, there are certain steps you must take in order to modify your New Hampshire child support order. Before a court or judge will consider modifying the amount paid or received, your situation must meet certain criteria.
The timeframe
You may be able to have the amount of child support given or received changed if at least three years have passed since the original child support order took effect. Even before three years, though, you may be able to request an order review if a significant change in circumstances has occurred. Either party may request a child support order review.
The process
If you are looking to change the amount of child support you pay or receive, the first step involves filling out and filing a Petition to Change Court Order, which includes information about yourself, the child’s other parent and the child or children the existing child support order covers. When you do so, you must also complete and submit a Personal Data sheet, which contains personal and contact information for both parents.
The formula
In most cases, the amount of child support you must pay or receive is based on a specific formula, unless extenuating circumstances exist. The same holds true when your order goes under review. Thus, if you now make considerably less than you did when the order first took effect, the amount the formula generates after review may prove lower than the amount you are currently paying.
Keep in mind that this information pertains to modifying child support orders within the state of New Hampshire. If you need to modify or enforce an order from another state, the steps you must take will differ.
