When parents seek intervention from the courts regarding child support, the courts must determine not only what a parent earns on paper, but also what that parent could earn based on qualifications, past experience, and realistic employment potential. A recent decision from a New York court highlights how courts approach disputes involving upward and downward modifications of child support, specifically, when a parent has the credentials and prior income history to support a higher imputed income. If you are seeking to modify your child support obligations or enforce a prior agreement, it is critical to speak with an experienced New York divorce attorney to determine your options.
Case Setting
It is reported that the parties were divorced by judgment entered in April 2012, following a separation agreement reached in December 2009. Allegedly, that agreement provided for joint legal custody of the parties’ two children, with residential custody granted to the mother. It is further reported that under the original agreement, the father was obligated to pay monthly basic child support, as well as cover the youngest child’s high school tuition and 30% of college expenses.
Allegedly, the parties agreed to modify this arrangement in 2017, reducing the father’s basic support to $350 per month and eliminating his responsibility for tuition and other add-on costs, based on an income stipulation of just $20,000. Subsequently, the mother filed a petition in December 2020 for an upward modification of the father’s support obligation. The father responded with a petition in January 2023 seeking a downward modification and credit for child support arrears. Continue reading