X told me she took a pay cut for this new job and that she has to take all this fill in time at two places to make ends meet.<P>I don't believe her. She says it is so she can see the kids more, but I think it so she can get more time off as she is working 12 hr shifts.<BR> <BR>I am thinking of using one of those online credit check services, but since she just started the job last month, I am not sure they will have anything yet.<P>Any other suggestions out there?<P>

Seems like your attorney could demand verification from her employer. (Just a thought!)

Where I live, once that ability to earn a certain capacity has been shown, the judge will NOT let the non custodial spouse get away with paying less.<P>Think about it, how many of us REALLY go around taking a paycut?? And for the fact of seeing the kids? I highly doubt it, its just an excuse to make her sound better .<P>Talk to your lawyer immediately. For one thing, there are re-evaluations of the child support every 1-3 years where we live. When that happens, both parties, see each other's income. I would assume, if this is real and she wants to pay less, your gonna see this paperwork regardless. But the judge may tell her, she HAS no reason not to pay and take a second job if she needs to.<P>Grrr, sorry this has hit a nerve as it just happened to me recently and is about to happen again. <P>It just irritates me that people want to walk away from their life, their home, thier spouse,their kids, all for their own selfish desires, then they think THEY have the right to make less money so they can see their kids?? What about us single parents, how often to we see our kids? We can't take a pay cut for this luxury.<P>Let me know what your attorney says, but ultimately I don't think she can pay you LESS money without a court order/judge etc, and ask your lawyer if you can sue her for this money its going to cost you to deal with this situation.<P>Prayers,Dana<BR>

My attorney made it cut and dried by using tax returns, which works well in our situation since we are salaried.<P>If she is telling the truth, maybe she would show you her pay stubs? If she won't, its a good bet she's not, and maybe then the attorney could help?<BR>

Hey all,<BR>I think the real reasons she changed jobs was 1: to get away from all the people she disappointed/offended there, 2: so that she will actually have more time off, she's working 12 hr shifts, so that she and om can run around like last year when she was only working part time. OM works(I think)12 hr also so they can spend the additional off days together. I haven't seen any more time being spent with kids as a result of new job.<P>As for using my lawyer, I did talk to him about it a couple weeks ago. He said he could file but it could open a can of worms if she gets a lawyer and he starts making conditions or accusations. It would also cost me $400 for the lawyer and about a $100 for court costs. So I would be out $500 before I saw a dime. I am not leaning in this direction.<P>I could also ask the county child protection agency to upgrade. I am leaning this way, but want to know if it is worth my while which it wouldn't be if she did take a pay cut.<P>Thats why I wondered if there was a way for me to quietly check up on her wages. I do not think she will give me this info voluntarily.

Dear RWD:<BR>It seems to be that if the court order is to pay a certain amount of child support, then that is the amount determined regardless if the person has a cut in pay. That is not the courts problem (as they see it). They see it as a parents responsibility to contribute to the amount set by the court. I will ask you if it is worth the aggrevation to go through all that again in the courts for the money...is the cut that great? I just know how ugly things get in courts which is something I had to go to with my husband when his ex-wife took him to court. The child support system does review every year. In the state I am in, every 3 years they send out paperwork to his ex to see if she wants to refile and upgrade her child support. So, for the next 7 years, we have to worry every 3 years whether she is going to file. So far, she hasn't because he has tried to develop a better relatinship with her. It has worked so far. But as far as you, why not hire a private investigator if you don't want to go to court or confront her. I doubt she willt ell you how much she makes. A private investigator may be a little expensive, but, you'll have to weigh if it's worth it. Good Luck!

I guess I mislead you all. X is not trying to reduce her payment, she just complains about it.<P>When she first filed, she low balled the amount she made. I finally got her to come up to what she was making for 1998 on a part time basis. <P>For 99, after she left me, she started working more and made $4000 more. Now she has started a new job and is working full time plus is working on call on her days off. <P>At her old job she would have been making about $35-36000 working full time. I was assuming she was making the same plus the over time and was figuring with that she would be making about $40000/yr. The child support is based on her earning $29000.<P>What she is saying is she is making less. She would have to go to the courts to get it altered but hasn't said anything about that. She said "everybody" she talks to pays a lot less. I guess she needs to talk to people here.<P>I am receiving about $400/month. I guess I could get by without it, but would actually have to discipline myself and my spending. I guess I would like to have more money, who doesn't, and could then save that money for the kids education.<P>I guess the easiest way is to curtail my spending. I realy don't want to go to war about this. All I want is to get on with me life and get her out of mine.

It seems to me that a woman making 29000plus can afford 400.00 a month childsupport. I don't care if she did switch jobs she is the one who chose to do that. Don't let her make you feel guilty. She owes at least that much to her kids and if she makes more than 29000 than I feel she owes them a heck of alot more.<P>Jill

I am of the opinion that you should ignore the whole thing.<P>This is what she wanted. If she didn't want to pay child support, she should have thought about that before she had the affair.<P>My stbx is doing the same thing. Took a demotion, then took another job and started working fewer hours at the one that was garnished, then got fired from the garnished job. I have gotten $85 for the last two months of the $800 owed.<P>I kind of look at it as insurance. No judge in his right mind would give her more time with the kids when she owes over $1000 after only paying support for 5 months. And she is also over 200 hours behind on what the court allowed her as parenting time. This helps alot when I get p***ed at her.<P>Good Luck

Brian,<BR>You are probably right about forgetting it. I guess I am looking at it from a punishment standpoint.<P>I still would like to know though just to see if she is lying to me, again.<P>Bob