As Alabama residents progress through different life stages, their financial circumstances often undergo changes. These changes can have a significant impact on an individual’s life, as well as his or her family. After a divorce, these changes can also impact a person’s child support obligations.

Take, for example, someone pays child support and who changes jobs. Contrary to some individual’s belief, a job change does not automatically change a child support obligation. However, the person may file a petition with the court to modify the child support payments in light of the new salary, which is often done if an individual cannot afford the existing payments.

Other reasons may exist for modifying child support, including an increased cost of living or change in the child’s needs, remarriage or incarceration. No matter what the reason, courts will examine whether the change is a substantial change in circumstances, which must be proven in order to alter the existing payments.

A popular actor is among those trying to establish a change in circumstances necessary to alter child support payments. Brendan Frasor has a $900,000 annual child support payment, but a child support dispute recently developed after he tried to lower his payment out of his inability to pay that amount. While he claims he no longer earns enough to make the payments, his ex-wife argued Fraser hid assets when the couple’s divorce was settled in 2009, and suggests he still has the ability to pay.

A court will determine whether to modify Frasor’s payments, as is typically the case. Typically, a judge has the power to make either temporary or permanent changes to the child support payments, which could impact Frasor’s case. Until the court makes any changes, however, Frasor, like other payors, will continue to be accountable for existing payments.

Source: Huffington Post, “Brendan Fraser broke, can’t afford $900,000 child support payment to ex-wife,” Feb. 15, 2013