It’s not unusual for residents of New Jersey to marry more than once. Many people divorce their spouse and end up married to a new spouse years later. However, if you have children from a previous marriage, you may wonder if your remarriage can affect child support.
What happens if one person is engaged to remarry?
When one party is engaged to remarry but they have children with their ex-spouse, the party who pays child support still has the same responsibilities toward their kids. That means the paying parent will still be required to pay child support regardless of the other parent’s new marriage.
In some cases, one parent may make a request of the court to change a child support order. However, this can only be done depending on certain circumstances like a big change that might affect the parties. The ex-spouse getting remarried, even if their new spouse is wealthy, does not qualify as a changed circumstance. Regardless of which party is remarrying, the person who pays child support will have to continue doing so even after their new marriage has occurred.
Of course, if both parents come to a peaceful agreement, they don’t have to take things to court. If there’s an agreement on a different amount of child support to be paid, such as lower payments, it can be done without the court’s intervention.
What kind of changed circumstances might affect child support?
When the court determines child support, it takes into consideration what’s in the best interests of the child first and foremost. As a result, if circumstances have changed dramatically, the court may agree to change the child support order. The court might consider a newly remarried parent’s financial situation and make a change, but that’s rare.
There may be other issues that arise. For example, the remarried parent’s new spouse might want to legally adopt the child. If that occurs, there might be a change in the child support order if the other parent is the one paying support. Ultimately, parents need to be prepared to make adjustments if they’re necessary for the child’s well-being.