Q: Can my ex wife have my child support modified if I refuse to pay the kids cell phone bills?
I pay child support every month for my two kids and she's been asking me to pay their cell phone bills also or shell have my number blocked on them. I feel this is what child support is for and cell phones are not a neccecity. Even so, she's threatening to have my child support payments raised.
A:
Often, I advocate that cell phone bills and similar expenses are items that are covered under child support. Sometimes other attorneys or judges have different opinions. When calculating child support, those types of expenses need to be discussed and included as an additional expense or as part of the presumed amount. If child support was ordered through an administrative proceeding, often those types of expenses are left out and issues like what you're having come up.
As always, you may want to speak with a local attorney in detail about whether or not child support should be increased or decreased based on current incomes of the parents and expenses for the kids. Mother may try to increase child support to include this cost, which she has the right to do if circumstances warrant a change. If that happens, you need to make sure you properly oppose it through either the administrative process or in court.
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