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Montgomery County, PA Child Support Modification Attorneys

Modifying Child Support in Montgomery County

Family law issues don’t end just because the divorce is final. Custody issues and child support issues can continue to arise many years down the line.

In Pennsylvania, parents whose financial circumstances change may need to modify and change existing child support orders. The Montgomery County child support attorneys at the Law Offices of Sheryl R. Rentz have been guiding parents through the modification petition process for many years.

Call (610) 645-0100 and let us help you a get a child support order that is reasonable and just.

I Need to Modify a Child Support Order in Montgomery County, PA

There is a difference between appealing a child support order because you disagree with it and modifying a child support order that has already been in effect. If you have a child support order that was just issued, you must file an appeal within 20 days if you want to challenge it.

If, however, there is an existing child support order but financial circumstances have changed, you need to file a Petition for Modification of an Existing Order in family court. There is no guarantee that the court will grant a modification of a child support order, but there are several factors that the courts consider when deciding whether a child order should be modified.

Factors That Can Encourage Modification

Family law courts award child support based on the Pennsylvania Support Guidelines to ensure that children are fully supported by their parents. Changing child support orders requires demonstrating that income of a parent has changed significantly.

Legally, a parent must show substantial and material changes in their circumstances or that of the child. Some factors considered by the court when modifying a child support order include:

New sources of additional income
Drastic increases in the cost of child care, health insurance
Changes in child custody
New child support guidelines
Unemployment

In addition to the factors listed above, courts will consider the age of a child, whether a child has been emancipated and many other factors when modifying a child support order. Each case is unique and an experienced Montgomery County family law attorney will be able to review the details of your case to identify the best argument for modifying the child support order.

Providing Evidence of Changed Circumstances

A child support order will not be modified without proof. Parents should gather evidence of all changes in their financial circumstances. It is vital that you collect proof of income, health insurance costs, loss of income and so on in order to help the court make the right decision.

We encourage all of our clients to keep detailed paper records about their finances in order to support modification petitions. All child support modification petitions in the state have to be filed in the county where the child support order was issued or if you have moved, where it was transferred.

Additionally, until a child support order modification has been granted, parents must continue to pay their child support payments. Child support modifications are not retroactive and parents are still required to pay any child support payments that are outstanding. Any back-owed child support payments will not be affected by a child support order modification.

Montgomery County Lawyers Supporting You Every Step of the Way

We are available to assess the facts of your case and provide you with aggressive legal representation so that the child support amount that you pay or receive accurately reflects your financial circumstances.

Call the Law Offices of Sheryl R. Rentz at (610) 645-0100 for a free consultation and learn how you can increase or decrease the amount of child support that you receive or that you are required to pay.

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Sheryl Rentz