The court will look at a variety of factors, including the current income of the parents and needs of the remaining children. If the income of the parents has remained the same and the needs of the remaining two minor children are the same, the obligor can expect that the amount of support for the remaining two children will decrease. The amount of reduction will not necessarily be one-third, however. If the obligor's current income has risen significantly since the last order, a new child support order for two children may actually be more than the guideline amount for three children since support for three children was set at a time when the obligor's income was lower. If the obligor now wants to reduce child support because the oldest child has reached eighteen, the obligor could be in for an unpleasant surprise if the obligor went to court.
Similar considerations apply to the parent to whom support is due.
If the parent receiving support has had a significant increase in income from wages or elsewhere, that parent may not be able to obtain a significant increase in support if the state's guidelines or other legal principles would shift more of the support obligation to the parent receiving support. Sometimes it is best not to rush off to court, even though one may be tempted to. Everything you need for court related issues. The Intelligent Alternative to Court. Excellent legal service at your convenience.