What is a material change in circumstances and how does such a change affect child support?

A material change is something significant. It can make child support go up or go down. In order to constitute a material change in circumstances, the change must have occurred after the child support order or agreement has been made. Whether there has been a material change depends on the specific factors of each case. If the payor’s income has declined significantly, through no fault of his or her own, even if the child’s needs have not declined, a judge may decide to reduce the amount of child support. If both parents’ incomes have increased significantly, child support payments might also be increased. If a parent or child changes the place of residence, this too can affect the amount of support.