Through hard work and determination, you and your spouse have enjoyed a financially healthy marriage. Your children take part in a number of activities after school that cost a lot of time and money, but you are fortunate enough that you can afford it. Then it happened, your bread-winning spouse asked for a divorce. You may now be wondering how you will pay for all your child’s extracurriculars on your now reduced income.
Divorce is difficult on children. Parents try to keep life going as close to normal for them, even though the family dynamic is changing. However, finances may take a hit when dividing one household into two. Thankfully, in Michigan and elsewhere, child support is there and available to help keep your kids doing what they like to do.
What support covers
For the most part, the bulk of child support goes to cover a child’s basic needs. Things such as:
- Food
- Housing
- Medical insurance
- Daycare
- Clothes
- School expenses
However, when the money is there and available, it can also go to cover a child’s extracurricular expenses. This is generally on a case-by-case basis, but the courts do want children to continue enjoying the same standard of living that they had during their parents’ marriage, if at all possible.
Who pays? Will the support amount ever change?
In Michigan, the courts consider each parent’s income before creating a child support order. Both parents must contribute to financially supporting their children, but a bread-winning spouse may bear a larger burden.
It is possible to seek adjustments to child support orders. If either parent experiences a change in circumstances, or if one or more children’s needs change, it is possible to increase or decrease the amount owed. In order to modify this type of order filing, an official request in court is generally necessary. If parents are on good terms, it may be possible to work out a support order change through private negotiations rather than going to court.
Get what your kids deserve
Your children deserve the very best that you and your ex can give them. You can fight to achieve a child support order that allows them to keep doing what they love. The fight may not be an easy one, but it is not one you have to go through alone.
