Marion County Child Support Lawyers & Attorneys

If you need help changing or setting up child support then let our Marion County child support lawyers file your child support petition and argue your case to the judge. However, in Alabama a child is not considered a legal adult until nineteen years of age which means the non-custodial parent generally is required to pay child support until then. Changes in circumstances do occur and the court recognizes this, allowing for a request to modify the child support amount in certain instances. When a considerable amount of time has passed since the child support was first ordered, when the parent’s income changes by more than 10% and if there were any outstanding expenditures that parent made, such as an extended hospital stay, then the non-custodial parent may file a petition to change their child support payment amount. If you need a

Our Marion County child support attorneys can help you modify your child support obligations by petitioning for it in Circuit Court. Your child support lawyer in Marion County should file your petition in the Circuit Court of Marion County if the child’s custodial parent lives in Marion County or if the original child support order took place in the Marion County Circuit Court.

You will need to file a Petition to Modify Child Support with the Circuit Clerk and our Alabama child support lawyers can help. Our Hamilton child support attorney will ensure that the petition is listed using the exact same names used in the original case. If you are not using a local Marion or Morgan County child support lawyer then you will need to fill out the top portion of a summons (available on the Circuit Clerk’s website). Additionally, there is a filing fee that varies from county to county. Call our child support lawyers in Marion County today and let us help you file the petition correctly.

The court will usually want to see an income change of more than 10% to consider a child support modification in Marion County, Alabama. That can be a greater than 10% change for either parent. So if the custodial parent is now making 50% more per year than they were when child support was last determined, and you are making the same, you could petition the court to lower your monthly child support obligation.

Other situations that could warrant our Marion County child support attorneys filing a petition include: the child support currently being paid is no longer adequate to meet the needs of the child, the financial situation of one or both parents has changed, there is no provision for medical support for the child, or the child has significantly more needs than he or she did previously. Either parent can petition the court to modify child support obligations in Marion County, Alabama. The changes will take effect after the judgement and will apply retroactively to all payments made after the petition was filed. Call our child support lawyers in Marion County today for a consultation.

When filing a Petition for Modification, you should always state your reason(s) for requesting a modification of child support and offer substantiating documentation. Once our Marion County child support lawyer files your petition, a copy will be sent by the court to the child’s other parent for service of process. Once served, our child support attorney in Marion County will go to the hearing with you and argue your case to the judge.

At the hearing, the Marion County judge will listen to both sides to determine if any modifications should be made, and if so, how much. That is why it is so important to seek an experienced family law attorney. At the Harris Firm, our Hamilton child support lawyers work on a retainer basis to file child support modifications. We will fill out and prepare the documents, file them for you, and attend the hearings with you. At the hearing, our Marion County child support attorneys will use their knowledge of the law and your specific circumstances to be your advocate to the court. It is not uncommon for a court to modify the amount of child support a non-custodial parent has to pay each month, but it is less common for child support obligations to be terminated.

Parents that are subject to paying child support are generally obligated to pay until the child turns nineteen and becomes a legal adult. The only other straightforward way for a court to terminate child support obligations is in the tragic event of the child’s death. Other situations where the court may consider terminating child support is if the non-custodial parent loses/forfeits his or her parental rights, the non-custodial parent obtains physical custody of the child, or non-custodial parent requests the child be emancipated. Emancipation is typically only approved in very specific situations. For example, if an 18-year-old child joins the military. Our Marion County child support lawyers can advise you if you think your obligations might be terminated.

In very limited circumstances, a court may extend child support obligations beyond the child’s 19th birthday. One of the most common reasons a court would extend child support is if the child is disabled. Child support does not end at nineteen if the child is unable to care for themselves due to physical or mental disability.

The law has gone back and forth on parents helping adult children through college. Currently in Alabama, there is no requirement for a parent to pay tuition, fees, books, room/board, etc. for their adult children in college. Parents can, of course, make their own agreements and arrangements about those expenses. But it is no longer an extension of child support.  Call our Marion County child support attorney today for a quick phone or video consultation.