Hey everyone, my ex just got fired from her federal job with the DoD. From what I know, this is pretty rare, but I saw it coming months ago because of her poor work ethic and constant leave abuse.
She’s an attorney but hasn’t been working as one. Now she’s trying to claim she has zero income and isn’t even looking for a basic job, like working retail or anything. She just doesn’t want to work at all because she wants to stay home with our son.
Our first judge set her imputed income at $78k based on her background. We have 50/50 custody, but now she’s trying to get her child support payments reduced to zero, claiming she actually has negative income because of her share of our son’s preschool costs.
Does anyone think she has a real shot at getting her income set at zero? Appreciate any thoughts.
Cora said:
If you lost your job, do you think they’d let you claim zero income? Nope. They don’t care. You still have to pay, no matter what.
Exactly! I pay her already, and now she just wants even more so she can sit at home all day. Some people might think she actually wants to work, but trust me—she really doesn’t.
@Lily
Yep, this whole system is messed up. Child support is supposed to help the other parent provide for the kid, but it ends up being a way to avoid working. My ex gets my support money, blows it on random junk, and still can’t buy our teenage son basic things like deodorant or clothes. They should make child support work like food stamps—only usable on stuff for the kid.
@Cora
Exactly! She could be making good money as an attorney, but she refuses. She has all this education and still wants to rely on handouts. I wish someone in her family would tell her to stop being lazy.
@Lily
They never make the mom step up. It’s always the dad’s responsibility to earn more, but if a mom doesn’t work, no one cares. My ex barely works, but the courts told me I needed to get a better job, even though I already had one. Makes no sense.
@Cora
I’ve seen the same thing over and over. If a dad works 60 hours a week, then wants to cut down to 40 to have more time with the kid, the court says no way! But a mom can just quit working, and they don’t care. It’s crazy.
She should have saved some money in case she lost her job, just like anyone else. Plus, if she was fired, she might have gotten severance or unemployment. If her income is going to stay low long-term, she can ask for a child support adjustment, but they’re not just going to pretend she has no skills. She’s already underemployed as it is.
@Esme
I’m almost sure she has savings. She’s lived with her family for years, barely has any expenses. And yeah, if she qualifies for unemployment, she should be getting around $835 a week here in Hawaii. If she doesn’t qualify, it probably means she got fired for something serious.
Maybe you should agree to a temporary reduction for a few months so she has time to find a job. If she ends up completely broke, that’s not good for your kid either. Some people in her situation end up homeless, and then nobody gets any money.
@Bryce
She’s not struggling—she lives with her family and always has. The only time she lived on her own was when we were together, and I paid for everything. She already gets child support from me, but she thinks she should get $1100 a month just so she doesn’t have to work.
Bryce said: @Lily
If she has family support and isn’t paying rent, then yeah, she has no reason not to work. You don’t have to agree to anything.
She thinks I should pay more just because I make good money. Right now, I pay $220 a month based on her lower salary, but now she wants to claim negative income to get even more. Hope the judge shuts that down.