After an Arkansas court makes a ruling on your child support case, setting the amount of support you pay or receive, this is not the end of the road. You will have a chance to request a modification in the future if you need one. However, according to the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, there are clear rules on when you can ask for a modification to your child support order.
If you think about it, restrictions on modification requests makes sense because there are so many child support cases in the state. If you could ask for a change whenever you want for any reason, it would clog the system and make it very difficult to ever get a ruling. So, the state sets specific guidelines for requesting a change to your child support order.
The main rule is you can request a review of your case for possible modification every 36 months. Regardless of your situation, you have the right to go to court and have a judge look at your child support order to see if changes need made every 36 months. The court may raise or lower your support. It could also stay exactly the same. You also have the option to request a modification if there is a change in your gross income. The change needs to be more than 20 percent or more than $100 a month.
Keep in mind that there are some instances where you may think you need to request a modification when you do not. For example, if you have a child who turns 18 and becomes a legal adult, you do not need to do anything. Your support obligation for that child ends automatically and if you have other children, the support amount automatically adjusts. This information is for education and is not legal advice.