Why is my child support so high?

Questioner

My situation is as follows. March 2023 I am divorced and together with my ex I have 2 daughters. 1 of 6 years old and the other is almost 4. Really nice girls. The mediation took place from the end of December 2022 to February 2023. During this period I was sick at home due to a severe depression in combination with suicidal thoughts and tendencies. I believe that during that period I stood up for myself less and was also urged to calm down by the mediator and my ex because I saw my future as black. As a result, I wanted to finish everything quickly because I couldn't handle this because no one was listening to me anyway. Unfortunately, this has become reality. Since May 2023 I have been living in a rental property where I pay 1192 euros basic rent. 45 euros service costs and 100 euros for heating (block heating). In addition, I have to pay 810 euros in child support. I have to do this with a net income of 3016 euros. I have just been to the municipality to discuss my case and he was shocked by the amount of child support. According to TREMA standards, these are normal amounts. Only now I personally have to make ends meet on 480 euros per month. With this I have to feed myself, feed the children and actually dress us all. I do not see that this is possible. I have a savings pot of 400 euros. My income was still 3280 euros in November. Because a new lease car has arrived (the previous contract expired) I am now on that lower amount). I wonder if this is normal practice because my request for help from the municipality cannot really be dealt with with my gross income of 4800 euros per month. But I also do not have money for a new mediation round or a lawyer. I also have to hope that no items in the house get broken otherwise I simply have a problem.

Lawyer

The amount of child support in the Netherlands is indeed determined according to the Trema standards, which are based on the ability to pay of the person liable for maintenance and the needs of the children. It is not unusual for the support for two children to be a substantial part of the income. However, it is important that the calculation is based on your current income and not on an older, higher income. According to the Nibud, someone should still have enough money left after paying child support to live on. This is the so-called 'standard maintenance wage'. In your situation it seems that this may not be the case. You could consider having the maintenance recalculated. Because there is a new financial situation, this could be a reason to adjust the maintenance. When it comes to changing child support, a change in circumstances is required. Income can be seen as such a circumstance. You could hire a lawyer or mediator for this, but I understand that the costs are a barrier for you. There are possibilities to receive subsidized legal aid. In that case, the government pays part of the costs of a lawyer or mediator. You may be eligible for this. On the website of the Legal Aid Board, you can use the calculation module to calculate whether you are eligible for subsidized legal aid. You can also contact them by phone for advice. Hopefully these options can help you. -------------- Stichting Rechtswinkel.nl is a national organization with students and volunteers. The above advice is based on limited information and may be incomplete or even incorrect for your situation. Always consult a lawyer or attorney for your further steps. Read disclaimer: https://rechtswinkel.nl/disclaimer I would like to invite you to rate the above answer so that we can learn from your response.