It can be a crushing blow to receive a pink slip in Michigan, and even more so while you are paying child support to a divorced spouse. With your major source of income gone until you find a new job, you may have to seek a modification in your child support agreement. But to do so, you should establish your current financial status in a few important ways.
First, as FindLaw points out, you must show that your status has changed following the establishment of the current child support agreement. Your change in circumstances cannot have occurred before the court had entered the present agreement that dictates how much you should pay your ex. So make sure that any documentation on your current circumstances has been properly dated.
Also, if you have not suffered a medical disability and are still able to work as you had before you lost your job, make a strong effort to seek new employment. You do not want your former spouse to accuse you of slacking off deliberately so you can get out of support payments. Chronicle your job searches as thoroughly as you can.
By the same token, you should show the current income of your household in detail. Do not give a former spouse cause to think you are hiding anything. If you are on any disability or unemployment benefits, show what you are currently drawing upon. It will demonstrate your present income and help prove that you are legitimately unemployed.
Fatherly also advises you to document every one of your expenses on behalf of your child. This is a good step to take whether your income is strong or not, as it provides a record that shows you spend well on the priorities of your children. If you prove that you are not skimping out on your offspring, it helps convince a judge that your efforts to care for your children are in good faith. It can also defuse tensions between you and your ex since you are demonstrating that you are trying to take care of the children.