Quick answer: In Minnesota, a child support order is rebuttably presumed unreasonable and unfair, and a substantial change is presumed, when the guideline amount is at least 20% and at least $75 a month higher or lower than the order. A change can be retroactive only from the date the motion is served. Support is stated in monthly amounts.
This Minnesota child support modification calculator applies Minn. Stat. 518A.39. Enter your current order and the amount the guidelines give today (you can get it from the Minnesota child support calculator) and it shows whether the 20% and $75 presumption is met, the monthly gap and what it adds up to after service. A drop in gross income of at least 20% through no fault or choice of the party is a second presumption, and the guideline amount itself comes from Minn. Stat. 518A.35.
Minnesota child support modification at a glance
| Rule | What Minnesota says |
|---|---|
| Grounds | Substantially increased or decreased gross income or need, a change in health coverage or its cost, a change in child care expenses or emancipation, making the terms unreasonable and unfair (Minn. Stat. 518A.39, subd. 2(a)) |
| Amount presumption | A guideline order at least 20% and at least $75 a month higher or lower than the order; if the order is under $75, at least 20% (subd. 2(b)(1)) |
| Income presumption | Gross income decreased at least 20% through no fault or choice of the party (subd. 2(b)(5)) |
| Additional child | A new nonjoint child after the order is not by itself a presumptive ground (subd. 2(c)) |
| Start date | Only from the date of service of notice of the motion, unless the parties agree on another date (subd. 2(f), (l)) |
| Death of the payer | Support is not terminated; the amount may be modified, revoked or commuted to a lump sum (subd. 4) |
How does child support modification work in Minnesota?
- Know the presumptions. See what counts as a substantial change in Minnesota.
- File and serve on time. See how to modify child support in Minnesota.
- Income problems and incarceration. See lowering child support after job loss or incarceration in Minnesota and, for what stays owed from before service, the Minnesota child support arrears calculator.
What does this modification calculator check?
The calculator applies both parts of the amount test (at least 20% and at least $75 a month, or 20% alone if the order is under $75) and the income-drop presumption, and shows the monthly gap and the accrued difference after service. It cannot decide whether the court will rebut the presumption. The months before service are the ones you cannot recover.
Frequently asked questions
How much does child support have to change to be modified in Minnesota?
A substantial change is presumed when the guideline order is at least 20% and at least $75 a month higher or lower than the current order, or at least 20% if the current order is under $75.
Does a Minnesota income drop create a presumption?
Yes. If gross income decreased at least 20% through no fault or choice of the party, the terms of the order are rebuttably presumed unreasonable and unfair.
From what date can Minnesota child support change?
Only from the date notice of the motion is served on the other party, unless the parties agree on another effective date.
Does a new baby let me modify Minnesota child support?
Not presumptively. An additional nonjoint child born after the order is not by itself a presumptive ground; the court considers it if other grounds are alleged.
Does Minnesota require a hearing to modify support?
No. The court need not hold an evidentiary hearing on a motion for modification of support.