Can Child Support be Dropped in Minensota

Apr 25 2025 14:00

Can Child Support Be Dropped in Minnesota?

 

In the state of Minnesota, parents can agree to waive or reduce child support. However, the court must then agree that the waiver or reduction is in the best interests of the child. this is required by Minnesota Statutes which has set guidelines for determining child support.  In most instances, there must be a calculation of guideline child support under the statute and then a reason as to why the court should deviate from those guidelines should be included to indicate the modification is in the child's best interests.   The child support guidelines that exist under Minnesota Statutes for a rebuttable presumption as to what child support should be.   

 

The inputs that are needed to determine guideline child support include the following:

 

  1. The number of joint children for whom  support is being set;
  2. The monthly gross incomes for each party;
  3. Whether either parent has any non-joint children;
  4. Parenting time based on the number of overnights each parent spends with the children.
  5. The cost of medical and/or dental insurance for the minor children;
  6. the cost of child care each month related to each parent's work or school schedule. 

 

It is important to note that Minnesota family law courts will not always agree to parents waiving child support. This is because Minnesota law considers child support the right of the child, not the parents. Instead of waiving child support, parents can request a “reservation” of support. By doing this, the court acknowledges that no child support will be paid at the moment, but it reserves the right to order support in the future if circumstances change that require support.

 

Additionally, there are some cases where the calculated child support amount is very low, such as less than $25 per month, where the court may approve an agreement to waive child support to avoid unnecessary conflict between the child’s parents.

 

An experienced child support attorney will be able to help you determine whether or not you are eligible to stop child support based on the particulars of your case. Call for a consultation.