Familial situations and circumstances change all the time across Texas and around the nation, and in some cases, you may have cause to seek a modification for your existing Texas child support order. Maybe you are currently paying a certain amount in child support and you need to try to lower the amount you owe, or maybe you are receiving support, and you have valid reasons to need more than your current arrangement allows.
Regardless of your reasoning for wanting to modify your Texas child support order, the process involved in doing so remains the same. According to the Attorney General of Texas, you need to first meet certain eligibility criteria before you can move forward with a child support modification case.
For a court to consider modifying your current child support order, you must prove that your initial order took effect at least three years ago, and that the amount you currently pay or receive differs from what current child support guidelines would allow by either 20% or $100. Conversely, you may be able to move forward with a child support modification case if you have recently experienced a “material and substantial change in circumstances.”
Just what might that involve? Say you were paying a certain amount in support based on your income, but you lost your job. This could potentially constitute a material and substantial change in circumstances. If you have another child you are now financially supporting, this may, too, constitute this type of change in circumstances, as can any changes to your shared child’s health insurance coverage.
This information about how Texas handles child support modification requests is meant for educational purposes and is not a substitute for legal advice.