Child Support

Royal Oak Child Support Lawyer
Serving Southeast Michigan Families Since 1974

Child support can be one of the most heated issues in all of family law. It is important to remember that child support payments are meant to benefit the child, to make sure the custodial parent has the means to pay for the child's needs. However, it is also true that child support payments have a large impact on the finances of the parents, as well.


the divorce issues. This allows parties to reach their desired goals while still minimizing the expense, time and emotions of litigation. Furthermore, amicable divorce is almost always in the best interests of any children involved.


Contact our law firm for a free initial phone consultation. 248-541-3400


Finding the right child support solution and resolving disputes can be difficult. At Melder & Melder, P.C., we have extensive experience representing mothers and fathers in child support matters in southeast Michigan, including Oakland, Macomb, Wayne, Genesee, St. Clair, Livingston and Washtenaw counties. If you need child support determined, our Royal Oak child support attorneys can walk you through the process.

Like most states, Michigan requires judges to make child support determinations based on a set of guidelines. There are many factors that the judge will consider, such as:

Michigan Child Support is Determined by Guidelines

  • Each parent's income
  • The child's health care costs and general care costs
  • The number of children and the age of each child
  • The type of child custody and visitation arrangement

Disputes over child support are common. As Royal Oak child support lawyers, our role is to help the judge understand what makes your family unique, and why a certain level of child support is appropriate.

Michigan Child Support Modification and Enforcement Attorneys

Life continues after the initial child support determination is made. Financial circumstances change. If you are paying support but lose your job or go through another significant life event, come talk to us about child support modification. Similarly, if you believe the paying party is seeking a modification simply to get out of paying, we can help.

Some of the most frequently litigated issues in Michigan family courts involve child support enforcement. These proceedings happen when the paying party fails to make payments, or is accused of such a failure. Our team represents parents seeking to enforce child support orders as well as parents who are faced with an enforcement action but are not able to pay. We do our best to find positive resolutions to these important issues.

Alimony/Spousal Support and Child Support Modification

Modifications involving support orders are often highly contested issues. The courts often request documentation that provides insight as to why the standing order should be changed. Child support can be increased or decreased due to substantial changes in parenting time and/or income of the parents. Changes in income of the payer and/or the recipient affect the size and frequency of alimony/spousal support payments.

Visitation and Custody Modifications

Custody terms are binding on the parties, but they are not set in stone. It is possible to have them changed. You can pursue a modification at any time after the last order. But remember that the party seeking the change generally must show that a “substantial change of circumstances” has occurred since the entry of the last order.


Courts discourage parties from repeatedly coming back to court trying to change provisions involving children and, as a result, a legal threshold must be met before changes can be made.


Legal grounds for modifying a child custody order can include:

  • The custodial parent plans to move out of state or a great distance from the present location.
  • A parent’s behavior has raised questions of fitness.
  • Interference with parenting time.
  • The noncustodial parent has overcome issues that previously prevented custody.



In all child custody disputes, the court decides the issue based on what it perceives to be in the best interests of the child.

Contact a Michigan Child Support Attorney

For answers to your questions about child support and support enforcement or modifications, call our Royal Oak, Michigan, law office at 248-541-3400. You can also contact our law firm online.

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