Monthly obligation cut from $2,400 to $1,300 — with retroactive credit.

Anonymized client (Fulton County Case #2024-DR-00921). The support order was based on income from two years earlier. We documented the changed circumstance, filed a Motion to Modify, and walked the case through to a recalculated order — including credit for four months of overpayment.

Income-change modification — full case breakdown

Anonymized client

Atlanta, GA • Anonymized client • Custodial parent

Fulton County Case #2024-DR-00921. Order entered on a pre-tax income figure from two years prior that no longer reflected the obligor's actual earnings. We gathered five months of paystubs and filed the motion package, plus a separate arrears credit request covering four months of payments made above the recalculated obligation.

Before

The challenge

Existing order: $2,400/month based on obligor's prior compensation
Documented income reduction through W-2s, paystubs, and employer verification letters spanning 5 months
Four months of payments made above what the recalculated obligation would have required
Obligor's attorney had signaled intent to contest any modification request
Court calendar backlog meant docket dates were 3–4 months out from filing

Approach

The work we did

Compiled obligor income documentation: W-2s, paystubs, employer letter confirming reduced hours
Built the household financial profile showing clean documentation of both parties' actual current earnings
Filed a formal Motion to Modify Child Support citing Georgia's "changed circumstance" standard with supporting exhibits
Prepared a Georgia child support guidelines worksheet using the recalculated income figures
Submitted a separate written request for retroactive credit for the four overpaid months
Coordinated with client's attorney on hearing prep and rebuttal of the obligor's anticipated counter-arguments

Result

What happened

$2,400

→

$1,300

New monthly support obligation

Monthly obligation reduced by 46% based on documented income change
Retroactive credit applied for four months of overpayment — entered as part of the modified order
Total process from engagement to finalized order: 90 days
Order entered with arrears reconciled to reflect the recalculated figures

See what this process looks like for your situation.

This case hinged on a clean income-change audit and a separate credit request that the court could enter without re-litigating the modification. Every dispute has its own shape — the framework for getting the court a clean record is the same.

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