Child support can be tricky, especially when a family is experiencing big changes. Today, Mandy Hancock discusses two different scenarios that could affect your obligations.

If one of my children turns 18, does my child support automatically cut in half?

A lot of times people call me after one of their children, for which they’re obligated to pay child support, turns 18 or graduates high school, and the obligation to support that child ends. The main thing that people want to know is if they can just automatically cut their child support in half, or reduce it by a certain percentage.

The answer to that is no. When you have a child that either ages out or graduates high school, and you’re no longer obligated to support that child, it is important that you go back and you run a new child support worksheet. That will determine whether or not the child support will modify.

Those are tricky things that can happen, and child support numbers can be confusing at times. That’s why it’s important to contact an attorney. We serve the Knoxville area and you can contact us to help you with those needs.

Can I quit my job so I don’t have to pay child support?

People often want to know if they can quit their job in order to avoid paying child support. The simple answer to that question is no. In the state of Tennessee, if you voluntarily quit your job, which could be either that you quit or that you were fired due to your own actions, the court can still hold you to that level of income earning capacity. It’s very important not to do that in order to avoid paying child support.

If you are at a point where you are facing losing your job, I believe it’s very important for you to contact an attorney to know your rights and your responsibilities. We can help you with those situations at Banks and Jones and you can contact us either 865-546-2141 or at BanksandJones.com.