Quick answer: To modify Mississippi child support you need a material change in circumstances, except in the DHS three-year review of an order it enforces, where the order can be adjusted to the guidelines without one. Support for minor children cannot be modified retroactively except from the date notice of the petition is given. Support is a percentage of adjusted gross income.
This Mississippi child support modification calculator applies Miss. Code 43-19-34. Enter your current order and the amount the guidelines give today (you can get it from the Mississippi child support calculator), say whether this is the DHS three-year review, and it shows whether you must prove a material change, the monthly gap and what it adds up to after notice. Mississippi sets no percentage threshold in the statutes we read.
Mississippi child support modification at a glance
| Rule | What Mississippi says |
|---|---|
| DHS three-year review | Every three years DHS notifies both parents of the right to request a review; the order can be adjusted if it differs from the guidelines amount; no proof of a material change needed (Miss. Code 43-19-34(3)) |
| Outside the cycle | Proof of a material change in circumstances is necessary (43-19-34(3)) |
| Start date | No retroactive modification except from the date notice of the petition to modify is given (43-19-34(4)) |
| Guidelines | 14% of adjusted gross income for one child, 20% for two, 22% for three, 24% for four and 26% for five or more, a rebuttable presumption (43-19-101(1)) |
| Stipulated modification | A written, acknowledged and court-approved agreement has the force of an order, retroactively and prospectively as it provides (43-19-34(1)) |
| Arrears are not a bar | A preexisting arrearage does not bar DHS review, and a downward modification cannot later be contested because of an arrearage (43-19-34(3), (5)) |
How does child support modification work in Mississippi?
- Know the two routes. See what counts as a material change in Mississippi.
- File and give notice on time. See how to modify child support in Mississippi.
- Income problems and incarceration. See lowering child support after job loss or incarceration in Mississippi and, for what stays owed from before notice, the Mississippi child support arrears calculator.
What does this modification calculator check?
The calculator tells you whether the route you are on needs a material change (your own petition) or not (the DHS three-year review), and shows the monthly gap and the accrued difference after notice. It cannot decide whether a court will find a material change. The months before notice are the ones you cannot recover.
Frequently asked questions
What do I have to show to modify child support in Mississippi?
A material change in circumstances, unless it is the DHS three-year review of an order DHS enforces, which needs no showing of a material change.
How often can Mississippi child support be reviewed?
DHS notifies both parents of their right to request a review every three years, and the order can be adjusted if it differs from the guidelines.
Is there a percentage rule for Mississippi child support modification?
Not in the statutes we read. The guidelines are 14% of adjusted gross income for one child, with the presumption rebuttable.
From what date can Mississippi child support change?
Only from the date notice of the petition to modify has been given to the other party.
Does an arrearage stop a Mississippi downward modification?
No. A preexisting arrearage is not a bar to DHS review, and if a downward modification is warranted the arrearage cannot be a basis to contest it later.
Official sources
- Miss. Code 43-19-34: review and modification; no retroactive modification
- Miss. Code 43-19-101: child support award guidelines
- Miss. Code 43-19-103: criteria for deviating from the guidelines
- Miss. Code 93-11-65: support of minor children; emancipation
- 42 U.S.C. 666(a)(9): no retroactive modification of support already due