As a parent, you understand the importance of making sure that your child is financially secure in life. For divorced parents in Texas, this usually means paying monthly child support. But what if the current calculated amount is too high or was calculated incorrectly?
Even when they are struggling, some parents feel guilty over having their child support recalculated. But if you are paying too much in child support, can you continue to support your child in other ways too? Probably not. Here are a few steps you can take to achieve a more reasonable monthly support.
Switch up expenses
Health insurance is a large bill for most people, but it could come in handy in this case. If you switch your child from your ex’s health insurance plan to your own, you can not only lower your child support, but you could also save money in the long run if you already have a family plan. Before making this move, you should first make sure that it still provides the same necessary coverage. If their other parent’s coverage is better, explore other options.
In addition, daycare often eats up a significant portion of parents’ monthly incomes. If you must pay a portion of daycare costs, you should explore more affordable options for your child. You still need to weigh your options here too, though. You do not want to significantly lower the standard of your child’s care or spend more time and money traveling to a more affordable daycare.
Work longer hours
Did you know that courts often impute working hours to 40 per week when calculating income for child support? This means that if you work 35 hours a week and receive $10 per hour, the court might consider your income as $10 per hour for 40 hours per week. If this is the case, you could already be paying more than you can afford.
Increasing your working hours to 40 per week will put more money in your pocket without affecting your child support. However, this only works if the court imputed your working hours when it first calculated child support.
Update when necessary
If your income changes, you unexpectedly lose a job or start paying child support to more than one ex, the court needs to know about it. Since child support orders are usually based on the paying parent’s income, failing to provide necessary relevant information can result in an order that is too high or unsustainable in the long run.
You want to financially support your child, but your own well-being is important as well. When it is time to seek a lower child support order, you can make careful, planned choices that can help lower your monthly child support order to a more reasonable amount. When doing so, many people choose to work with an attorney who is familiar with Texas family law and can uphold their rights and interests.