HOW DO I MODIFY CHILD SUPPORT?
Modification of child support can be brought with a rule to show cause. It can be modified if there is a significant change in income. (Of course, this may trigger questions regarding voluntary unemployment, but in the Lafayette area, it is often a smart move for the payor to modify to a lower number when there is a downturn in the oil industry.) The child support award can also be modified if custody is modified, especially if there is a change that allows the payor parent more time with the child or children. The reduction is usually granted as a recalculation of child support through a change from joint custody to shared or split custody. Finally, if parents can agree among themselves to modify child support, that is ok, as long as the amount “fosters the continued support and upbringing of the child."
WHEN CHILD SUPPORT WILL NOT BE MODIFIED
Any voluntary act by a parent that renders it difficult or impossible to perform the primary obligation of support and maintenance of the children cannot be a ground for release of the parent from the obligation of child support.
