How is a child support order changed?

Federal law requires states to have procedures for periodic review and adjustment (if appropriate) of child support orders.

Working with one or both parents, a state may:

• Review the child support order using state guidelines for setting orders. If the current order amount is different than what the guidelines suggest, the support order may be adjusted.
• Apply a cost-of-living adjustment to the order using a formula developed by the state.
• Identify orders eligible for review based on automated comparisons with wage and state income tax data. After reviewing identified cases, the state may apply the appropriate adjustment.

Either parent can ask for a review of the order when there's a substantial change in income or living situation.

See the Changing a Child Support Order guide (PDF) for more information.