Divorced parents in Pennsylvania may be willing to make child support payments to cover a young one’s expenses. Parents often rely on their salaries to cover these payments, but problems might arise when parents change careers. A new job may impact the ability to pay established child support amounts.
Hardships and changing career paths
People might need to change jobs for many reasons, and a worker may change careers out of necessity. For example, a person who suffers a severe injury could become unable to perform the tasks of a particular profession. A new job may become available, but it could pay far less. Now, the employed parent earns less money but maintains obligations to pay costly child support.
People do lose their jobs, too. Changing careers may result from the original one going away. Again, struggling to make ends meets becomes even more complicated with unaffordable child support payments. Going into court and seeking a reduction in child support amounts might be a regrettable and unavoidable decision.
Purposeful decisions to earn less money
Predicting how a judge will rule is not always possible. However, petitioners may wish to consider scenarios when the judge might not be amicable to a child support change request. Someone who changes jobs and takes a pay cut could face some hurdles. The person may not be happy in a particular career and could take less money to do something he or she enjoys.
While someone may have a right to do this, purposely deciding to earn less money might not free someone of child support obligations. Similarly, someone who could make more money through overtime or other available revenue sources may also find lowering child support payments challenging.
Ultimately, the courts may look at financial hardships and the specific issues the petitioner faces. How such things end up presented in court may matter, as well. Expect the courts to want to see evidence of hardships.
A family law attorney may assist with a child support change petition. An attorney could represent a client during the process.