What To Do If Covid Impacted Your Ability To Pay Child Support?

Published on
February 12, 2021
Written by
Angel Murphy
Category
Custody and Child Support

“I'm terminated! I don’t have the money to meet the monthly obligations for my child!”

COVID-19 solely caused a lot of business shutdowns and job terminations. This created a huge turnaround in unemployment, skeletal work shifts, and mandatory work from home policies. As a result, a huge financial loss of income heightened for families across the globe. The demand for reduction of paying or supporting child obligations and alimony orders throughout the country soared.    If a parent's financial ability or a child's financial needs have changed — that could conceivably be enough to trigger a modification. A modification requires that there will be a material and substantial change in the lives of the parties involved. A parent who is unable to make child support payments must always have a back-up plan. They should not wait weeks or months to take action. A parent’s financial responsibility, despite being in crisis, does not simply end and the process only starts from when a modification is filed.

Here are some simple tips to consider:

  • Immediately contact a family law attorney.

File a petition for child support modification right away even though you haven’t come to a decision yet as to how to act upon your current situation. There must be enough time allotment as the request will take time to be granted and more issues will likely arise. It is also imperative to act quickly to ensure that you are not penalized for non-payment of your obligations during a period of unemployment or a change in financial circumstances.                                                                                                                                      

  • Cooperate as much as you can with your ex.

Even if you both are struggling with the same problem. Be sure to take measures and prepare for the worst-case scenarios. So you are never caught in a situation where you are unable to meet your child support and/or alimony obligation(s). If you do find yourself in a situation where you cannot make your payments, a mediator or temporary agreement could help settle the matter with your ex. The attorney needs to make sure they understand your finances. The court will consider and will be more favorable to the one who is willing to make an effort than to the one who’s not.                                                                                                                                                                                        

  • Be as resourceful as possible.

Try to keep making payments toward your child’s support, even if the payments are minimal. Regardless of what the agreement currently is. The Court may decide and rule to modify support to a lesser amount and give credit for payments made.                                                                                                                                                                    

  • Account for everything.

From being proactive and trying to work things out with your ex. So you can meet your obligations or making an attempt to at least make partial payments, everything should be documented. Efforts made and established will show the Court that you are doing everything you can. As a responsible parent to meet your child support and/or alimony obligations.Modification of your alimony and child support is not easy, especially in these times of financial vulnerability. Financial instability creates a conflict that can hurt everyone. So, try to position yourself and prepare to meet this kind of challenge head-on. If you’re in need of legal advice regarding child support modification, our legal professional team can fully answer your inquiries. The Murphy Law Firm LLC has a wide variety of legal services that provide a coherent understanding of your specific case and specific issues related to the modification. Contact Angel Murphy today to schedule a trial strategy meeting at (240) 493-9116 to help you prepare. Like us on Facebook @AMurphyLegal, Follow us on Instagram @AMurphyLegal, and Twitter @AMurphy_Legal. For more related articles click here.

Angel Murphy

Personable. Passionate. Persistent.

Child Support & Alimony|Child Support Obligations|Child Support Resources|Covid19 effects on Parents|Do's & Don'ts On Child Support & Alimony|Financial Advice for Child Support|Parent's Ability to pay for Child Support|Tips on how you place yourself for child support|Tips to Consider in paying for Child Support|Worst Case Scenarios on Child Support

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