For child support, Texas non-custodial parents must pay regularly is not a permanent sum. Circumstances may change regarding the finances of the non-custodial parent, and Texas child support laws take this into consideration.
The Texas child support guidelines take several factors into account, and these include the income of both parents and their present expenses. The Texas child support calculator takes all the relevant factors and processes them through government formulas to arrive at an exact amount. According to the Texas Health and Human Services website, any change in the financial status of the non-custodial parent may be sufficient to modify the existing child support order.
These possible changes may include:
Additional parental obligations
One of the possible reasons for modifying a TX child support order is if the non-custodial parent has additional children aside from the ones for whom he (the mother is awarded custody in most cases) is already supporting. His obligations to the children he already has can never be totally erased, but they may be reduced if he remarries and has new children with his new wife. The Texas child support guidelines may allow the court to reduce the payments because of his additional obligations. The custodial parent will be notified of this in advance, so that she may be accorded the chance to contest the amount to be reduced from the original child support order.
Income instability
Any negative change in the income status of the non-custodial parent may also prompt the court to lower the amount of child support that needs to be paid. These may include such scenarios as when the non-custodial parent changes his job into something else that pays less, if he receives a salary cut, or if he no longer has a job at all. Since his ability to pay the current child support has been compromised, he may petition to have those obligations reduced.
Ill health
If the non-custodial parent suddenly becomes seriously ill, it may also be reason enough to have the child support amount reduced. Serious illnesses can be very expensive, and the insurance money may not be able to cover the entire cost. These expenses include doctors’ fees, hospital bills, and medical expenses. These need to be taken care of first, and the reduced amount of his finances may be taken into consideration when recalculating the child support amount.
His serious illness may also affect his employment status. The illness may cause him to earn less as he deals with his health, and the permanent results of the illness may cause him to be unable to work in his present job. This will also negatively affect his financial status and his ability to pay the current child support amount. The child support amount may thus be lowered in light of his health predicament.