While this is not generally something that the court will bring up for you, there is a chance the retroactive amount can be waived if the two parents come to a mutual agreement. For example, if the non-custodial parent financially provided for the child between the time of the filing of papers to the court and the hearing date, the custodial parent can agree to waive the retroactive amount. Many times, the custodial parent simply wants to do what is fair and does not want to have the other parent start off with arrears when attempts were made to support the child or children during that time.