In a divorce proceeding involving children, the court will usually order one parent to pay monthly child support to the other parent.
The amount of support the court will order is based on a formula that is used to calculate a support obligation, using the incomes of the parents. The state of Oregon maintains an online Support Guidelines Calculator which is used to generate a presumptive amount of support. Other factors may exist which can be applied to the calculation, resulting in an order for support that can be greater or less than the presumptive calculation.
An experienced family law attorney can provide valuable assistance in the appropriate calculation of child support.
When Can Child Support Be Modified?
Even years after a divorce is finalized and a child support order has been entered, the court can modify child support. A modification is started by one of the parents filing a motion with the court to change the amount of the support. Child support payments may be modified to go up or down if certain conditions are met.
In order to change a support order in this way, a court has to find that there has been a substantial change in the economic circumstances of a parent.
A change to the income of a parent is the most common reason that a child support order is modified. But the rules regarding what constitutes a substantial change in economic circumstances take a number of factors into consideration. Trying to analyze each person’s situation with respect to a proposed child support modification can become somewhat complex.
Other things that could have an effect on a child support order include such events as a change in parenting time, or the arrival of an additional child, or changes in health care coverage or child care expenses.
Why Choose Our Law Firm?
At Bott & Foster, we have a lot of experience in properly calculating child support in a divorce proceeding, and we have skill in analyzing all the factors that go into a child support modification.
Nothing on this website constitutes legal advice or creates an attorney client relationship. The information contained on this website is not applicable to all situations and/or jurisdictions. This website contains no express or implied promises/warranties.