Child Support Modification - Preparation Worksheet - Michigan

DO NOT FILE THIS PACKET. Use it to collect facts and prepare the current
official Friend of the Court review request or court motion. Confirm the live
form edition, filing method, service requirements, fee or waiver process, and
local procedure with the office handling the existing case.

Michigan Child-Support Modification Preparation Packet

1. Case-Control Sheet

☐ The names, party labels, case number, county, and order terms match the
operative court record rather than an older order or private agreement.

2. Select the Current Route

A. Friend of the Court Review

MCL 552.517 provides several FOC review routes. The state guidance says a
parent may request an order review every 36 months and directs the parent to
ask the local FOC how to request it. Public-assistance and medical-assistance
cases have additional periodic-review rules and exceptions.

☐ The filer did not describe a 36-month review as an automatic court
modification. A review may result in no recommended change.

B. Court Motion

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services directs a parent to the
current court motion when fewer than 36 months have passed since the last
review. Obtain the current motion and instructions through the local FOC or
filing court; do not file this packet in their place.

☐ Counsel checked whether an interstate order, pending custody issue, agency
case, military-service issue, bankruptcy, protection order, or confidential
address changes the proper route.

3. Change-and-Evidence Organizer

MCL 552.517 identifies review grounds that can include an un-ordered change in
physical custody, a change in the child's needs, changes in accessible and
reasonably priced dependent health coverage, changed health-coverage cost,
changed financial conditions, and an order based on incorrect facts. State the
facts and dates; do not rely only on labels such as “material change.”

Current Record Checklist

The state guidance lists the following records for a review. Confirm what the
local FOC or official motion instructions require in the particular case.

☐ Four most recent paycheck stubs, or an employer statement showing wages,
deductions, and year-to-date earnings

☐ Most recent federal and state income-tax returns, including schedules,
Forms W-2, and Forms 1099

☐ Three most recent business or corporate returns if self-employed

☐ Benefit, unemployment, workers' compensation, disability, or public-
assistance records relevant to the claimed change

☐ Health-insurance eligibility, premium, dependent-coverage, and effective-
date records

☐ Child-care invoices, provider records, subsidies, and work or education
schedule; current Form FOC 39e if requested by the official process

☐ Parenting-time calendar and the operative custody or parenting-time order

☐ Other record requested by the FOC or filing court: [________________________]

4. Formula and Requested Amount

MCL 552.605 requires the court to apply the Michigan Child Support Formula.
Use the current formula, supplement, manuals, worksheets, and any current
official calculation tool accepted for the case. Do not copy a percentage,
threshold, ordinary-medical amount, income assumption, or parenting-time
adjustment from an old template.

Deviation Screen

If a deviation is requested, prepare the findings required by MCL 552.605(2):

☐ An agreement between the parties is not treated as enough by itself; the
statutory deviation findings still must be made in writing or on the record.

5. Effective-Date and Arrears Screen

Under MCL 552.603(2), each due support amount is a judgment and generally is
not subject to retroactive modification. For a period while a modification
petition is pending, permissible retroactivity begins no earlier than the date
notice of the petition was given to the payer or support recipient.

☐ The request does not use filing date automatically when the statute measures
the available period from notice.

☐ The request does not privately erase, compromise, recalculate, or suspend
accrued support outside a court-approved and legally available route.

☐ Any arrears, surcharge, credit, abatement, incarceration, direct-payment, or
enforcement issue has been separately analyzed under current law and the case
record.

6. Proposed-Order Worksheet

Do not submit this worksheet as an order. Transfer only supported terms to the
current Uniform Child Support Order and any other form accepted by the court.

MCL 552.604 requires an entered or modified support order to provide for income
withholding. Withholding generally takes effect immediately, subject to the
statute's good-cause and court-reviewed written-agreement exceptions. Do not
describe withholding as a private remedy triggered by signing this packet.

7. Friend of the Court Information Check

For an FOC support order, MCL 552.603(7)-(8) requires specified contact,
license, income-source, Social Security number, and driver's-license
information and requires changed information to be supplied within 21 days.
Use the protected-information method required by the current official forms;
do not place confidential identifiers in a public attachment unless directed.

☐ The packet does not invent an annual tax-return exchange, private cure
period, or broader 21-day employment and insurance notice duty.

8. Official Filing-Packet Checklist

Confirm the exact current requirements with the local FOC and filing court.

☐ Current official motion or written FOC review-request procedure

☐ Current case questionnaire supplied by the FOC, if applicable

☐ Current income and expense disclosures required for the chosen route

☐ Current Michigan Child Support Formula calculation materials

☐ Filed current support order and relevant later orders

☐ Documents supporting each claimed change

☐ Current Form FOC 39e and supporting records if child-care reimbursement is requested

☐ Current proposed Uniform Child Support Order or other court-required order form

☐ Current confidential-information, cover-sheet, fee, or waiver materials

☐ Current service papers and proof of service required for the selected route

☐ Hearing notice, scheduling request, or follow-up required by the local process

9. Final Accuracy Review

☐ This preparation packet will not be filed as the motion, review request,
questionnaire, worksheet, order, affidavit, or proof of service.

☐ Every factual statement is supported by personal knowledge or an identified
record, and dates and amounts match the operative orders.

☐ The correct FOC-review or court-motion route has been confirmed.

☐ The current formula materials—not hard-coded numbers from an old document—
were used.

☐ Any requested deviation includes all findings required by MCL 552.605.

☐ The retroactivity request is measured from notice under MCL 552.603 and does
not seek an unsupported change to accrued installments.

☐ Income withholding is presented as an order term under MCL 552.604, not as
a private default remedy.

☐ No generic arbitration, jury-waiver, indemnity, liability-cap, cure-period,
force-majeure, integration, severability, electronic-original, or private-
enforcement clause was imported.

☐ The filer will continue obeying the existing order until the court enters a
new order.

☐ A Michigan attorney has reviewed jurisdiction, notice and service, current
forms, formula inputs, protected information, requested relief, and proposed
order language before filing.

Sources and References

• MCL 552.517 — Friend of the Court review and modification
• MCL 552.603 — Support-order judgments, retroactivity, and case information
• MCL 552.604 — Income withholding
• MCL 552.605 — Formula and deviation findings
• Michigan MDHHS — Modify an Order