Hello all - I'm looking for some clarification as I'm planning for my November trial and hoping you can share some insight on a few things, including Overall Financial Condition. I'll try to summarize with some bullet points on the history of this case and then ask what leverage I have in using my financial condition to decrease my child support obligation.

- In 2013, Child support and Spousal support was set at nearly $3300/month using adjusted income figures that both parents agreed to.
- In 2017 I make just over 70% of our combined income and Parent B is requesting an increase of child support from $1862/month to $4000/month (rounding)
- The strain from paying an extraordinary amount of support for 4 years has put me in a very difficult financial situation. My current expenses, minus the $4000/month, put me -$2500/month in the hole every single month. Expenses do not include anything unusual. I have an old vehicle that's paid for, back taxes from the past 3 years, student loans, medical bills, and credit card payments. It all adds up.
- We have joint custody, I provide a home for all of my children, and the kids go to school in my school district, as it is a better performing district than then where Parent B lives.
- I was unemployed in 2017 for 5 months and still owe arrears on spousal support.
- My current employer is requiring that I travel extensively for the first 6 months to a year, only allowing me to have the kids 5 nights out of every 14 days (35% parenting time)
- Spousal support ended in August, but there are still arrears that are currently being put on hold until our trial.

That's the short of it, and I'm leaving out some details, I'm sure. I make a good 6-figure salary and still end up -$2500/month after I pay out $4000/month in support payments. I'll get about two months of reprieve from that since the judge ordered to suspend the arrears until trial, but I need to fight with every ounce of my being to stave off such an extraordinary amount of child support (for Parent B who holds a masters in business management but refuses to use it in their current career choice). I need to pay off taxes, credit, and be able to pay student loans, save for retirement, save for emergency, and be able to buy a vehicle when my current one can't go no more.

How can I use the Overall Financial Condition option to get some relief? Any thoughts or advice?

Thank you!

In KS, mothers are not faulted for failing to gain employment commensurate with their level of education.  There also is no issue with a mother quitting work, marrying someone to pay her bills, and still getting a sizable child support check.  This is just a problem with the guidelines.

It sounds like the guidelines need revising.

BMull, thanks for letting us know this.

Logical position.  Something obviously needs to change.

My soon to be ex and I are nervous about the courts ruining our lives. My ex and I have 3 kids ages 11,10 and 4. We both work already fulltime and both go to school fulltime online. We have agreed on joint residential custody and even though she is making more than me I did not request any alimony. She is not requesting child support but we heard that the court will force that anyway on me. I only make 9.33 hr and just enough to pay my bills basically. Adding child support would mean I have three options. 1.Stop seeing my kids and pay it since working another 40 hrs would cut into my 12 days I get them each month. 2. I could pay it and just live out of my car instead of rent but then I cant provide a place for kids to stay. 3. I could just go to jail I guess.

Then my ex gets screwed because she needs me to watch kids while she is in nursing school. The judge I hope will understand both our college is important to our kids futures and not mess up our schedules by forcing child support.