When it comes to problems with child support, most attention by the media and by the general public is about deadbeat parents who don’t pay their fair share. Much less attention is devoted to the issue of a noncustodial parent having to pay more than they justifiably should. In Georgia, judges have the discretion to set child support amounts that vary from the income percentages noted in state law, and that includes setting payments higher. When a parent feels that support payments have become a hardship, a child support lawyer in Douglasville, GA may be able to get the amount modified by petitioning the court.
Custodial parents can ask for regular reviews of the support situation if they believe the noncustodial parent should be paying more and they hope to have the payment amounts raised. Consider a situation in which the parent paying support loses a job and can only find a job that pays significantly less. During the hearing, a judge can demand that the noncustodial parent continue paying the percentage amount relevant to the prior income level. Perhaps the judge feels this parent has not tried hard enough to find a job that pays more. Judges are familiar with a limited number of people who intentionally start making a lower income out of spite toward the other parent. They want to discourage that behavior, but unfortunately, that can wind up causing problems for individuals who are having unintended financial difficulty.
A child support lawyer in Douglasville, GA can petition for a modification so that the person making support payments has a more affordable arrangement. Commonly, an experienced attorney is better suited to convincing a judge to grant this modification. The lawyer knows what type of documentation is supportive for the petition and gives a more objective impression. In contrast, the person who is dealing with high support payments may lose their composure and get upset. A person who is having trouble making support payments because of income changes may contact a lawyer such as Diane M. Sternlieb for assistance. Visit Dsternlieblaw.com for more information.
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