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Your obligation to pay child support does not end if you lose your job. In fact, you will still be expected to make child support payments up and until the family court orders otherwise.
When you receive unemployment benefits during the time that you are out of work, you can expect to have your child support deducted from it. If you need to have it reduced or stopped due to financial hardship, you need to hire an experienced lawyer to assist you in making the request in court.
Lowering the Child Support Deduction
The amount of money that you receive in unemployment benefits will typically be significantly less than what you earned. With that, it might be challenging for you to afford the full amount that the court ordered you to pay.
To get the child support reduced, you need to make a formal request in family court. Rather than represent yourself in the matter, you can hire an experienced family law attorney to make the request for you. Your lawyer can make a rational and thorough argument that could convince the judge to lower your child support amount while you are drawing unemployment.
Stopping Child Support
You also might need to have the order stopped while you are out of work and drawing benefits. Your lawyer can present an argument showing that you need your benefits to support yourself and your household. The judge may decide to halt the order to prevent you from experiencing severe financial duress and instead order child support payments to resume when you start working again.
However, child support does not necessarily stop just because you are out of work. You still have an obligation to pay it. A Lackawanna child support lawyer can help you seek out a child support modification until you can start paying support again. The attorneys at O’Malley Law Office, LLC are here to assist you with your questions and concerns regarding child support.
Call us today at (570) 284-3551 to discuss your options with our skilled attorney.