How much do you think it costs to support yourself in the home you live in. I would certainly consider that when deciding how much money leaves the home.

how about a 50/50 split? support to the house you're in for you and your kids and make it even. even = balance...balance = fewer arguments ...good luck! CS and old and new family is always a sharp pointy topic

I think you need to file to get it modified. And you need to call the state once a week to stay on top of them and see where your case is, because they can take forever with this. Check out this link for modifying it in Washington State: http://www.dshs.wa.gov/dcs/services/modification.asp

Your wife is being a little short sighted about this. You should definitely go to court to get this modified, but at the end of the day, you are bound by law to pay CS I assume.

If you get your driver's license revoked... or go to jail... how does that help either family?

Your wife is taking her dislike of your ex wife out on your kids. That's neither fair or right. You should obey your court order and try to have it modified while you are unemployed. You can do no more than that. End of story. And not up for further discussion with your wife.

If you were not on the scene your wife would have to feed clothe and put a roof over the heads I'd her children.on her own anyway. I don't understand why she resents supporting you while you are unemployed. Isn't that what marriage is about. CS once modified would not take all of your unemployment benefit. So you would still be able to pay for your own food etc., if that's bothering her.

It's not right to deny your kids because her husband is a deadbeat dad. It's odd she wants you to become one.

Stepkids are not the priority, biokids are.

I agree with justsitired. His wife is working, supporting her own children. He said he did poorly out of the divorce. Maybe he came to his new wife with nothing and now they have joint debts that she can't service (mortgage, car payments, credit card debt) on just one wage. I do not understand why only one household should be affected when someone that should be contributing to both loses his job. He should at least take the CS for review. Surely a 75 per cent wage reduction would involve some sort of CS reduction. It certainly would here in Aus.

Pay your ex her support but get part time work or even two if you have to, to cover your own expenses.

So your wife doesn't feel like the is busting her ass at work to not only pick up her exes slack but now support your prior family too which may be how she feels .

Just giving a different perspective

http://www.dshs.wa.gov/dcs/services/modification.asp

This link should help you should any future problems arise.

BTW, what is the custody situation. I figure you must have them quite often if you only paid $700 per month on a $1600 per week wage. Maybe your wife wants you to keep more money within your home so you can afford to feed your children while they are with you.

yeah, more information is needed. how did the ex make out in the divorce? leave you lots of debt? regardless, if you've taken that big of a financial hit and the only people who are going to suffer is the family you now live with, you need to file for modification. when my husband was laid off, he refused to go for modification and it almost crippled us while his ex and kids maintained their lifestyle. how is that fair when in an intact family if one of the parents gets laid off, their lifestyles have to be modified? what, only children of divorce get the support guarantee? anyway, other posters are correct, you are in no way responsible for taking care of skids. but get the modification.

My skids were adults when I married DH. But I can assert one thing for sure. I would NEVER have paid his CS for him if he was out of a job. NEVER EVER EVER. Just would not happen. I would have divorced him first.

But to be honest I would never have legally married DH if he had any debt of CS obligations. I am quite generous with sharing my assets with DH - but for SS27 and BM - NO.

The BM agreed to a huge decrease in CS. His wife still isn't happy with that.

this is about what my dh pays and about the same salary. he has to work 2 jobs to be able to pay his obligations here at the house, in addition to child support. i don't understand about not being able to file for a reduction if there is a change in circumstance?

you and your ex get along fine. how much contact is there? is communication strictly about skids or do you chit chat and shoot the breeze? she lives 2 blocks away. does that mean that you see her alot?

MY SO ex got the house that was purchased out of a personal injury claim for my SO. I told him that a personal injury case was exempt of child support but he gave it to her anyway. Due to his injury, his earning capacity has significantly lowered. Hence, he should be paying less support. The house BM has she owns, thanks to SO. We have a child together which he can barely contribute to. I, personally get pissed off when I hear about BM's who don't expect to be affected by BF's loss of income. Why on earth should I be the only one to suffer when he isn't bringing home a wage???? Please tell???

I don't know if this will help and I might get some mad ppl after me for this but here goes. I was once in your wife's shoes I was livid with how much BM got... Now this was for some different reasons... I ended up largely supporting my skids and our new home with my schooling funds and credit. BM had him convinced she was going to get alimony and cs when I came into the picture so he was paying both without an order, that stopped soon enough. He was living in his parents house out of a bedroom. He left his exwife everything but his own clothing. That being said they where going through mediation and could not come to an agreement as there was no order in place. However, it was endlessly frustrating for myself to have pay for his kids our home and see her get everything he worked for. Then throughout the last year have been employment changes and lawyers discussing so on and so forth. Recently he had to adjust CS even though there is no order he wants to do it right that way we aren't stuck with a HUGE bill.. I did not understand this at first. Here was my moment of clarity... the day it was readjusted and SHE owed HIM so his payments went down. I am all for sticking to what is agreed upon now only because I know in the end it evens out. I would try to explain it that way you should be able to get it readjusted at least once you get a new job and your yearly income can be taken into account. YES my DB overpaid through 2 to 3 months of unemployment in the end though it evened out.... maybe the laws are different where I live but in general the time frame sucks that you see it back however, you will see it back. Hope this helps I know my skull was pretty thick for a while.