Under the law, you have an ongoing obligation to financially support your children even if you have new family responsibilities.
But the guidelines also recognize that, in some situations, the amount of child support in the tables, combined with other circumstances, could create undue hardship for either parent or for the children. Having a second family to support is an example of a situation that could cause undue hardship. However, you cannot reduce your obligations to your first family unless a comparison of both households shows that the second family would have a lower standard of living if the support payments were not reduced. In comparing household standards of living, the court considers the income of all household members as well as the number of people in each household. If undue hardship has been proved, the court can adjust the child support amount.
