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Impact of child’s earnings vs my support payments MA

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Skidad

New member
Massachusetts

I’m now laid off due to COVID-19 issues and kind of frightened about bills and child support which had been garnished from my paychecks. I’m on the hook for child support till Jan. 2nd 2021 when my daughter will be 23. She lives at home with her mom and does very few part time on-line classes only to say she is in school. By my guesstimates she made $25K-30K last year and maybe this year also but that’s already been impacted due to the corona virus and events being cancelled (she an equine photographer at horse shows all up/down the east coast)

Does, or could, her earnings have any influence on my child support? Should I be paying anything if she’s earning that kind of money and milking the college classes and living at home? I’ve never missed a support payment since she was 6 years old (+ 2 older children) but I’m so done with it and feel I’m being fleeced and have been for years by my ex.

Thank you,
Jeff in MA
 


Zigner

Senior Member, Non-Attorney
Why do you pay support if she's not in full-time school? Why haven't you gone back to court for a modification or to end the order entirely?
 

Skidad

New member
As long as she was doing classes I didn’t figure that was an option to chase. In hindsight perhaps I’ve been mistaken about that. Also at this point I’m not going to spend a dime on attorney fees. Already enough debt to deal with and child support costs has nixed almost any saving for retirement.
 

Mass_Shyster

Senior Member
I’m not going to spend a dime on attorney fees. Already enough debt to deal with and child support costs has nixed almost any saving for retirement.
Most courts in Mass have a service center and volunteer lawyers that can help you file a motion for a modification based on changed circumstances. (OK, they did two weeks ago. I doubt they're manned now - I'll see what I can find online)

EDIT: Start here - https://www.mass.gov/info-details/probate-and-family-court-forms-for-modifications
 

LdiJ

Senior Member
Massachusetts

I’m now laid off due to COVID-19 issues and kind of frightened about bills and child support which had been garnished from my paychecks. I’m on the hook for child support till Jan. 2nd 2021 when my daughter will be 23. She lives at home with her mom and does very few part time on-line classes only to say she is in school. By my guesstimates she made $25K-30K last year and maybe this year also but that’s already been impacted due to the corona virus and events being cancelled (she an equine photographer at horse shows all up/down the east coast)

Does, or could, her earnings have any influence on my child support? Should I be paying anything if she’s earning that kind of money and milking the college classes and living at home? I’ve never missed a support payment since she was 6 years old (+ 2 older children) but I’m so done with it and feel I’m being fleeced and have been for years by my ex.

Thank you,
Jeff in MA
First, her gross income is not her earnings. Her earnings are her profits. If she is working as an equine photographer up and down the east coast then she has a boatload of travel expenses as well as the other expenses involved in photography. It may be that her actual profit is quite small. On top of that, the coronavirus has, by your own admission already had a serious impact on her and may have for quite some time.

What someone could/should do if their child was really making that kind of money would be to petition to end child support based on the fact that the child was self supporting already. I don't think that you can do that right now.
 

stealth2

Under the Radar Member
Given the all-around situation atm, have you spoken with Mom/your daughter? Apart from the rest, this might be a good time to gently encourage stepping up her online education - to stay busy & engaged, of course.
 

Skidad

New member
First, her gross income is not her earnings. Her earnings are her profits. If she is working as an equine photographer up and down the east coast then she has a boatload of travel expenses as well as the other expenses involved in photography. It may be that her actual profit is quite small. On top of that, the coronavirus has, by your own admission already had a serious impact on her and may have for quite some time.

What someone could/should do if their child was really making that kind of money would be to petition to end child support based on the fact that the child was self supporting already. I don't think that you can do that right now.
Her travel expenses, lodging and camera equipment are covered by the outfits she works for. She also owns equipment either bought at great discount from her brother ( also a photo geek) or when she worked at Best Buy. Yes, she may not have work till August she texted me last night but will try to fill the gap with another job(s)).
 

Skidad

New member
Given the all-around situation atm, have you spoken with Mom/your daughter? Apart from the rest, this might be a good time to gently encourage stepping up her online education - to stay busy & engaged, of course.
I have suggested she take advantage of the time and cram classes but got no response from this. She's 22 and not even done her associates degree. As for the mom one of the most unreasonable people to deal with and sociopathic. Behavior over the years and what she has done to our 3 kids and me you could write a book about. She kicked out son #1 and he lived with me all through high school. Threatened to kick out son #2 multiple times including throwing all his belongings out into the driveway any number of times. Managed to get me evicted from my in home apartment and a 5 minute walk to the local high school for the kids. She claimed it didn't meet egress codes, got the town involved, then when the town ok'd it got the state involved and finally the woman who owned the house asked me to leave. Never mind this is where her kids had been staying and visiting me for years and close to school it was all about hurting me. Kicked the daughter out in high school who tried to to make a 25 mile commute each way to school (I was now living much further away) every day and work part time after school. She couldn't handle it and finally moved back with the mom. Town police got tired of the repeated calls to the moms house to break up fights or whatever between the ex and her new husband whom she married within 10 months of our divorce. Actually I was scared of her and maybe still am. The easy thing was to just pay and pay and pay money to keep peace. Didn't work....at all. Just the tip of the iceberg .
 

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