questions & answers

Question: i'm a single parent of two kids, my ex husband has custody of another child in arizona. at the time that he filed child support, i was only making a little over 25,000 a year but the judge awarded him $500 a month. I was wondering how did they come up with that figure, when it's obvious that i can't afford that? And is it possible to get modification on support that i'm in arrears with?

Answer:

Information regarding the determination of child support payments can be found under the Arizona Child Support Guidelines on the Arizona Department of Economic Security’s website.  In Arizona the child support calculator is used to determine the amount a parent pays in child support.  A link to the child support calculator can be found here.

According to the Arizona Department of Economic Security, a review for a modification may be requested every three (3) years without showing a change of circumstance.

If you request a review for a modification before three years, you must show there has been a substantial and continuing change of circumstances that would change the amount of support payments by fifteen percent (15%.). DES provides modification workshops that assist individuals in completing the necessary paperwork to request a modification. Information on these workshops can be found here.