I am starting nursing school can I ask for an increase in child support?

Question

single mom to a yr old boy...I start nursing school in fall...cant work full time. will the judge increase my child support

Answer 1

In most states they will allow you to put in for a modification order if the income has changed by a certain percentage.  you can go through the child support enforcement office for help.

Answer 2

no, he wont. so many moms would love to go to school...its not the dads place to put you there though.

Answer 3

I don't see why they would...

Child support is for the child.  The child's expenses haven't changed.

Maybe you need to go to weekend or night school.  

I mean bettering yourself is great and taking care of your child is good...but going to school is a privilege...and not necessarily one that your ex is responsible for paying for.

Answer 4

No. You can only get an increase if his financial situation changes. You can certainly work full time and go to nursing school, I know 3 women (two with kids) that are doing that right now. It takes drive and determination. Think of your end goal and put your head down and get to it.  

Answer 5

In our case, my husband's ex-wife quit her full time job and went to school a couple of months later (still not working and it has been almost a full year).  The child support was only adjusted because they were in the middle of a custody battle - it had nothing to do with her income.  If you go in and ask for more child support and explain why, then they are at the very least going to assign you a full time minimum wage salary for the purposes of calculating child support - because it's not that you were fired or laid off or can't work - you CHOOSE not to work.

My advice to you is put your child first.  There are plenty of single moms out there that work full-time and attend school part time.  Even if you can only work a part time job, that's still something.  Th efather shouldnt' have to pick up the slack just because you want to go back to school.

Answer 6

There is a reason that its clled "Child support". Its for the child, not for you!

Answer 7

Only way they will increase it is if he is making more money, child support is usually awarded based on his income.  The fact that your own personal finances change only has an affect on your finances not his.  If you want to lessen the amount your child is costing you to raise then perhaps you should give your husband physical custody if he wants it.

On a side note it is possible that if his income decreases he can file for a lower child support payment.

Answer 8

NOPE! Its for the kid not you.

Answer 9

How lovely.  Look at all the people saying you should be working full time AND going to school full time.  

Nursing school is going to require more than 40 hours a week of classes, practice labs, clinical prep, and clinicals.  The work is HARD.  And almost NO schools offer evening or weekend programs to get your initial nursing degree.  So if you're in school from 8 am to 2 or 3 pm 3 days a week, 8 am to 4 pm at least once a week, and 6:30 am to 2 or 3 on you clinical day, and THEN you have to find time for homework, AND you have to find time for a 40-hour jobs ... who is supposed to watch your child?

Some people can work part-time if they go to nursing school part-time.  And some people can't.  We all learn in different ways and we all have our own speeds.  

Here's the deal with child support.  You need to go back to your lawyer who handled the original custody and child support issues.  In some states, the amount of child support is determined by BOTH parents' incomes.  If you live in one of those states, you may be able to get more child support simply because your ability to support the child has decreased.  But in MOST states, there's nothing you can do simply because going back to school is VOLUNTARY.  Call your lawyer but don't hold your breath.

Have you applied for any financial aid?  There are some student loans that let you borrow more money than the actual cost of your tuition and fees and books and uniforms, for the purpose of providing you with a little money to live on.  The financial aid office at your school will know which loans those are and what you need to do to apply.  So make that phone call, too.

Now, one more idea.  Working while you're in nursing school is tough.  I was the top student in my program with a 3.96 GPA, going to school part time and working part time, and had a 3-year-old.  It was more than I could juggle.  

But if you CAN handle working, even part-time, try this:  some hospitals have scholarships for student nurses.  They pay for your tuition, fees, etc. for your entire education, and in return you agree to work for them for a certain amount of time after you graduate.  If you don't graduate, or if you choose NOT to work there, the scholarship becomes a loan and you have to pay it back.  One of these scholarships just might help you get your education paid for in such a way that you have loan monies left over for living.  AND, try to get a part-time job at the hospital.  Now they'll pay some of your school expenses as part of their employee tuition reimbursement program.  Plus, since you're an employee, you have a leg up on getting a scholarship and getting a good position with them after graduation.  Since hospitals run 24 hours a day, you just might find a work schedule that you can live with and still stay on top of your studies.

It's not going to be easy but it isn't completely impossible.  Good luck.

Answer 10

no, maybe if he can go 2 law school next & U give him a killer deal on support eh? the $ is for the kid not U.