In this episode, our Polk County child support attorneys explain child support law in Iowa for 2020. There are a couple of minor changes that have been approved for 2020.  The most notable change began on October 1st, 2019, at the beginning of the fiscal year.  Federal law now requires the Child Support Recovery Unit to deduct an annual fee of $35 from the family’s support payments.  The fee is withheld after the family has received $550 in support payments.  Exceptions and adjustments may be made, depending on the family’s circumstances.  For example, if the payee or any child of the payee has received cash assistance from Iowa or any other state, the fee will be waived.  If you have more than one child support obligation, the fee may be deducted from each case.

In this video, our Polk County child support attorneys explain how once a child support order is in place, a change can be made if either parent goes through a “substantial change in circumstances” which qualifies the order for recalculation.  A child support order modification request must be filed with the same court that set the original court order.  Even if both parties agree on altering the amount of child support, a judge must still make a determination about the order.  The Child Support Recovery Unit can also review and make adjustments to support orders in certain cases.  You should consult an attorney for advice on the best way to proceed if you think your child support order should be modified, as the processes can be quite different, depending on the circumstances of each case.

In this video, our Polk County child support attorneys explain how when an order for child support is entered, the state where the order was entered will have continued exclusive jurisdiction over the order. Only that state may enforce or modify the order. Therefore, the obligations generally do not change unless all parties have left the state and a modification to the order has been made. Furthermore, if one party has left the state, a number of tools are available to enforce the child support order.  

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