Stillings & Buchinger, LLC

child support modifications

Under Wisconsin laws, modifications to court ordered support obligations may only be made by order of that court and then only under a substantial change in circumstances.

Who can file a petition for modification of support?

A petition to a court for modification of a child support order can be made by either parent separately with a showing of a substantial change in circumstances, by both parents in a stipulated agreement which is submitted to the court for approval, or by the Wisconsin child support enforcement agency.

what is a substantial change in circumstances?

A substantial change in circumstances is relative to the parties to the case and the child or children to whom the obligation of support is owed. circumstances that would not likely qualify as substantial changes would be temporary job loss, moves even if a result of employment, elective surgery or investment losses. For information about your sitatuation, please contact an attorney at Stillings & Buchinger, LLC; they offer a free initial consultation.

Can the length of support orders be changed?

Under Wisconsin law, a duty to support a child is owed until that child attains the age of 18 years or graduates from highschool, whichever occurs last. Wisconsin law provides a cap on how long child support is owed if the child has not graduated from high school.

Parents can stipulate to other terms of child support. For instance, Wisconsin law does not provide that child support be paid during college years, however parents that care about their children obtaining a college education and affording it can agree otherwise. For example, they might agree to have support paid through the age of twenty-five years or until the child graduates from college, whichever occurs first. In those instances, the child support enforcement agency may send the receiving parent a form to verify that the child is still in school. The parent completes the form and returns it to the agency and no assistance is needed from an attorney.

Do I have to hire an attorney to collect child support?

In most instances, you will not need to hire an attorney to collect child support. The Wisconsin child support enforcement agency provides comprehensive child support enforcement system which pursues and collects child support. It may be well worth your efforts to work with them and to exhaust their every option before employing the services of an attorney. If you have not received results through the agency, or have exhausted their options, or if your child has special needs, or some other circumstance has arisen, then you may want to contact an attorney to discuss your legal options.

Free initial consultation

Every child support situation is different. Pleae contact the firm for a free initial consultation with an attorney at Stillings & Buchinger, LLC.