“My ex and I agreed to my paying $300.00 a month in child support for my 3 children. The courts further stated that I need to keep medical insurance on my children as well. I really don’t have a problem with either of these conditions, however, now my ex wants me to drop the insurance and pay her an extra $100 dollars a month in child support. I did a monthly budget calculation and have figured out that If I pay her the extra $100 dollars a month then I won’t be able to afford my bills. I know my ex though and if I tell her this she will just have the ODJFS re-evaluate my support order. Through an online child support calculator I figured out that here in Ohio I would end up paying $652.00 a month for my 3 children. I am worried that she is going to do this and I will lose my apartment…if I lose my apartment then I won’t have anywhere to live let alone see my children. The courts around here don’t seem to care about that though they just care about the child support they set getting paid. Is there anything which can be done about this?”

Unfortunately, for the most part, state child support formulas are fairly strict, and there is little leeway afforded to the court. This means that after they plug in the numbers (what you earn, how many children you have, etc.), the number they come up with is the number that you have to pay. In large part, your support award is much higher than it might otherwise be because you have three children.

For this reason it is critical that you have any such change recognized by the court, and put into a new court order.

Request a confidential divorce or family law case evaluation with an attorney in your area right now! Don’t delay! Time wasted can have a serious impact on the outcome of a family law case!