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Changing a Child Support Order
- The court sets child support obligations based on family circumstances and information from both parents.
- Child support orders can be changed or modified only by a court order or by cost-of-living adjustments.
- You may be eligible to have your order modified if your income, expenses, child care, medical coverage, or other circumstances change.
- Child care support can be changed if one parent tells the county child support worker that child care has started or stopped.
- For possible assistance with filing motions, you may contact Lynn Nesland at the Mahube-Otwa Father’s Resource Program, 218-632-3600.
- For more information and answers to frequently asked questions, read Changing Your Minnesota Child Support Order.
- The court may change a child support order if any of the following occurs:
- There is a substantial increase or decrease in either parent's income, including a job loss.
- There is a substantial increase or decrease in the needs of a parent or the child.
- One parent or the child receives public assistance.
- There is a change in the cost of living for either parent.
- There are extraordinary medical expenses for the child.
- There is a change in the availability of health care coverage for the child or a substantial increase or decrease in health care coverage costs.
- There is a substantial change in work-related or education-related child care expenses of the parent hwo is ordered to pay support.
- The child is emancipated.
- Some parents experience difficult times that make them unable to pay their obligation, such as unemployment, underemployment, health changes or incarceration.
- Child support obligations do not stop when an income source ends.
- Charging continues regardless of ability to pay, unemployment insurance benefits or other circumstances
For the court to modify your support order, you must show that you have experienced a substantial change of circumstance that makes the support order unreasonable and unfair. For the court to decide your change in circumstances is substantial, you must show at least one of the following situations occurred:
- Current order would change by at least 20 percent and be at least $75 higher or lower after applying the Minnesota Guidelines for Calculating Child Support. If the current order is less than $75, it would increase or decrease by at least 20 percent per month after applying the guidelines.
- Health care coverage ordered for a child is no longer available.
- Current order is for a percentage of income, not a fixed dollar amount.
- Parent's gross income decreased by at least 20 percent through no fault or choice of the parent.
- Court granted a deviation from child support guidelines because the child lived in a foreign country and the child no longer lives in the foreign country.
- Custody of the child has changed.
- Either parent may request a review of their child support through their county child support office.
- If you think you qualify for a modification, you may find it helpful to use the Child Support Guidelines Calculator to estimate the payment before requesting a review.
- If a parent requests a review of their child support, the other parent may respond to the request.
To request a review of your child support order:
- Call, e-mail or write to your county child support worker and state the reason(s) for the review.
- The county office will determine whether your request meets review requirements.
- If needed, you will be asked to complete further documents in support of your requested review.