After your divorce, your life’s path carries you to new experiences and a more uplifting environment. As far as you are concerned, the rubble from your divorce is well in your past. However, the divorce agreement stipulated a number of things that applied to matters that occurred a few years ago. Today, many important developments arose in the lives of you, your children and your former spouse.
It is time to revisit the divorce agreement. A post-divorce modification is fair and essential, especially when significant changes surface. Such issues may include a substantial boost in income, a job loss as well as changes in your child’s health and educational needs. All of these can potentially affect child support and alimony payments along with custody and visitation.
A remarriage, change in child’s needs
With post-divorce modifications, you and your former spouse may be able to avoid any further disputes. Here are some of the reasons for such modifications to take place:
- A raise in income: When a former spouse receives a work-related promotion, a significant salary increase requires revisiting the divorce agreement. That raise likely means that you and your children deserve an increase in child and spousal support.
- A significant drop in income: On the other side of the coin, the same holds true if your former spouse lost a job and must quickly accept a position with a much lower salary or wage.
- A remarriage: This could change a few things, including the child custody agreement and alimony. Child support payments likely will not be altered. In some areas, payments could even end.
- Changes to a child’s needs: As a child grows, he or she faces many changes related to matters such as health care and education. A child in need of braces or one who needs treatment for substance abuse requires costly treatment. On the education front, recreational costs may increase, or the child’s college tuition was significantly hiked.
- Relocation: If a custodial parent moves out of state, this affects child custody and visitation. Is the move in the best interest of the child? If not, the non-relocating parent may get custody.
Post-divorce modifications are permanent or temporary. Revisiting a divorce agreement is important when substantial changes surface in the lives of former spouses.
