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Manhattan, New York City, Westchester, Long Island and beyond
+1 646-241-8602
If a New York court order no longer fits your life, you can ask the court to change it. That is what a Post Judgment Modification Lawyer New York families rely on does – help you raise, lower, or update child support, custody, or spousal support after your case is already final. At Collins Law Group, PLLC, we file and fight these cases every week for parents and former spouses across Manhattan, the five boroughs, Westchester, and Long Island. Call 646-241-8602 for a free phone consultation.
Here is a quick example. Say your divorce was final three years ago. Back then you earned $120,000. This year your company cut your job and now you make $70,000. You still owe the old child support amount. A modification lets you ask the court to lower it to match what you earn today. But the clock matters — more on that below.
Call 646-241-8602 for a free consultation
A post-judgment modification is a court request to change an order that is already final. “Post-judgment” simply means after the judgment – after your divorce, custody case, or support case is closed.
You can ask to change three main things: child support, spousal support (also called maintenance) and custody or visitation. You usually cannot change how your property was split. That part is final once the judgment is signed.
To win, you almost always have to show the court a substantial change in circumstances – a real, lasting change since the last order. A small dip in pay for one month will not count. A lost job, a big raise, a move, a new medical need or a child’s changed needs often will.
What you can change: child support, spousal support (maintenance), custody and visitation. What you usually cannot change: how your property, savings or debts were divided. Those parts are set once the judgment is signed. If a term was written into a signed agreement, whether you can touch it depends on how that agreement was worded – we cover that below.
Choosing the right lawyer for a post-judgment case is different from picking a divorce lawyer. The judge has already ruled once. You need someone who can show the court a clear, honest reason to look again.
Here is what sets our firm apart:
You can change a New York child support order in one of three ways. You only need one of them:
This comes from the Family Court Act and the Child Support Standards Act. One quick catch: if you lost income and want to pay less, the drop has to be involuntary, and you must show you are truly looking for new work. Quitting on purpose will not lower your payment.
Example: Maria pays support based on the $90,000 she earned in 2022. She now earns $75,000 — a 16% drop she did not choose. That alone lets her ask the court to recalculate her payment.
New York support runs until a child turns 21. Support does not stop on its own when circumstances change — you have to file. If you need help with a first-time order too, see our child support page.
To change a custody or visitation order, you must show two things: a substantial change in circumstances and that the change is in the child’s best interests. This is a higher bar than support, because courts want children’s lives to stay stable.
Common reasons courts will look again include a parent moving far away, a change in a child’s school or medical needs, one parent keeping the child from the other, or safety concerns in one home.
Example: Dad’s job moves him from Manhattan to Buffalo. The current schedule has the child with him every weekend. That long move is a real change, so the court will look at a new plan that still fits the child’s needs.
A custody modification lawyer NY parents trust will help you gather the right proof — school records, texts, and calendars — not just tell your side. Learn more on our custody page.
Spousal support in New York is called maintenance. You can ask to lower, raise, or end it when circumstances change in a real and lasting way — like the payer losing income, the receiver earning much more, or retirement.
Two rules matter most:
Example: Tom pays maintenance to his ex-wife. She moves in with a new partner and they share bills like a married couple. Tom can ask the court to end his payments — but he needs proof, not just a hunch.
Some divorce agreements limit or block changes to maintenance. We read your judgment first so you know your real options before you file.
Your Judgment of Divorce often includes a settlement agreement with the support and custody terms inside it. Whether you can change those terms depends on how the agreement was written.
This one detail decides how hard your case is, so it matters. A divorce order modification NY case starts with a careful read of your paperwork. Bring your judgment and any signed agreement to your first call. If you are still in the divorce itself, visit our divorce page.
A common question is which court do I file in? Here is the plain answer:
Sometimes you have a choice, and the right court can save you time and money. A family court modification NY filing also has to be done the right way — with the correct forms and financial papers — or the judge can toss it out before a hearing. We handle the filing and the paperwork so nothing gets missed.
Modifying an order changes it. Enforcing an order makes the other person obey the one that already exists. These are two different tools, and picking the wrong one costs you.
If your ex stopped paying support or is breaking the custody schedule, you do not just stop getting what you are owed. As an enforcement lawyer NY families count on, we can ask the court for tools like:
Important: never stop paying support on your own, even if you think it is unfair. That creates arrears you will still owe, and it hurts your case. Keep paying and file instead.
A divorce judgment is not really the end. Life keeps changing — jobs, homes, health, and kids. A post divorce lawyer NY clients return to is the person who handles those changes when they come. Here is the process we walk clients through:
New York courts change support from the date you file — not from the date your life changed. If you wait, you still owe the old amount for every month you delayed.
Example: Sam lost his job in January but waited until July to file. He owes the full old support for those six months, even if the court later lowers his payment. Filing early is the single best way to protect your wallet. If circumstances changed, call us now, not later.
A few simple errors sink good cases. Watch for these:
Getting these right from day one is a big part of what a post-judgment lawyer does for you.
If a New York order no longer matches your life – or your ex is ignoring the one you have – you have the right to ask the court to act. Collins Law Group helps parents and former spouses across Manhattan, NYC, Westchester, and Long Island change and enforce their orders.
Call 646-241-8602 for a free phone consultation, or contact us here. The sooner you call, the more we can protect.