GLASTONBURY, CONNECTICUT · FAMILY LAW + FAMILY-VIOLENCE DEFENSE
Sometimes both people agree. A schedule needs adjusting, an income changed, circumstances moved on, and nobody is fighting about it.
That is the easiest kind of modification, and it still requires a court order.
“We agreed he’d pay less while she was out of work” has no legal effect. The original order governs. Arrears accrue on the difference, at the ordered amount, for as long as the informal arrangement lasts.
Years later someone produces a ledger. The parent who paid less in good faith now owes the accumulated difference, and the fact that both people agreed at the time does not erase it.
This happens constantly, and it damages relationships that had been working.
A written stipulation setting out the change, filed with the court for approval, with updated financial affidavits where support is involved.
It is comparatively quick and substantially cheaper than litigation.
One limit worth knowing: the court reviews agreed child support modifications against the guidelines. Parents cannot simply contract around the number. Where the agreed figure departs from the guidelines, the court needs a recognized basis and will make findings.
That is not an obstacle to a reasonable agreement. It does mean an agreement that shortchanges the children will not be rubber-stamped.
The parent paying less gets credit for it, on the record, instead of accruing arrears. The parent receiving less has documentation of why, instead of a dispute about what was said in a kitchen two years ago.
If you have already been operating under an informal arrangement, it is worth addressing sooner rather than later — the exposure grows every month.
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Every case starts with a conversation about what you’re facing and what it would take to handle it.
