How to Modify Child Support in Michigan
Reviewed by DocDraft Legal Team · Michigan · Last updated September 21, 2026
In Michigan, a child support modification is a court order changing the amount of an existing support order after a substantial change in circumstances, and a distinctive Michigan rule is that a change reaches back only to the date the other parent was given notice of your motion, not to when your circumstances actually changed (MCL 552.603). Support here is set by the Michigan Child Support Formula, tied to each parent's income and overnights, so a job loss, a raise, or a new parenting schedule can make the current amount too high or too low. You can ask for a change two ways. You can file a Motion Regarding Support (Form FOC 50) with the circuit court that issued your order, or you can ask the Friend of the Court to review it. After a review, the Friend of the Court must ask the court to change support when the recalculated amount differs from the current order by the formula's minimum threshold: 10 percent of the current support or 50 dollars per month, whichever is greater (MCL 552.517). A court can only modify support on a substantial change in circumstances (MCL 722.27). You can also request a review about every three years. Keep paying your current order until the court changes it, because support that already came due generally cannot be wiped out. Attorney review of your filing is available through DocDraft.
Find out where you stand in Michigan
Where are you with changing your child support order?
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How do I modify child support in Michigan?
File a Motion Regarding Support (Form FOC 50) with the circuit court that issued your order, or ask the Friend of the Court to review it. You must show a substantial change in circumstances since the last order (MCL 722.27). The court recalculates support under the Michigan Child Support Formula and signs a new order.
How much does support have to change to modify child support in Michigan?
After a Friend of the Court review, the office must ask the court to change support when the recalculated amount differs from the current order by the formula's minimum threshold: 10 percent of the current support or 50 dollars per month, whichever is greater (MCL 552.517). A court still requires a substantial change in circumstances.
How far back can a child support change go in Michigan?
A modification can reach back only to the date the other parent was given notice of your motion, not to when your circumstances changed (MCL 552.603). Support that already came due is a judgment and generally cannot be reduced, so filing promptly protects you. Keep paying your current order until a judge changes it.
Which court handles child support modifications in Michigan?
The circuit court, family division, in the county where your order was issued handles modifications, with the Friend of the Court reviewing support. You file a Motion Regarding Support (Form FOC 50), and the other parent can respond using Form FOC 51. The court applies the Michigan Child Support Formula to set the new amount.
Michigan child support modification at a glance
In Michigan, you change an existing child support order by showing a substantial change in circumstances since the order was entered (MCL 722.27), and a modification is a court order adjusting the amount going forward. Support follows the Michigan Child Support Formula, tied to each parent's income and overnights, so an income change or a new parenting schedule can justify a new amount. You file a Motion Regarding Support (Form FOC 50) with the circuit court, or ask the Friend of the Court to review the order. After a review, the office must petition the court when the recalculated amount differs from the current order by 10 percent of the current support or 50 dollars per month, whichever is greater (MCL 552.517). A change reaches back only to the date the other parent received notice of the motion (MCL 552.603).
Lowering a Michigan order after a pay cut
Because a Michigan modification reaches back only to the date the other parent gets notice, timing matters after a pay cut. Suppose your order was set two years ago when you earned more, and your hours were just cut. You estimate the recalculated support and see it would drop by more than 10 percent, clearing the formula's minimum threshold (MCL 552.517). You complete a Motion Regarding Support (Form FOC 50), file it with the circuit court, and serve the other parent so notice is on record. You keep paying the current amount while the motion is pending. At the hearing the court recalculates under the Michigan Child Support Formula and signs a lower order effective from the notice date (MCL 552.603). Attorney review of your filing is available through DocDraft.
Relevant Laws
MCL 552.517 (Friend of the Court review and modification)
Directs the Friend of the Court to review a support order and petition the court to modify it unless the difference between the current award and the recalculated amount is less than the minimum threshold for modification set by the Michigan Child Support Formula.
MCL 552.603 (support as a judgment; retroactive modification)
Provides that a support order is a judgment on and after the date each payment is due and is not subject to retroactive modification, and that a change is permissible only from the date notice of the modification petition was given to the payer or recipient of support.
MCL 722.27 (court authority to modify prior orders)
Grants the court authority to modify or amend its previous judgments or orders for proper cause shown or because of a change of circumstances, the standard a parent must meet to change an existing order affecting a child.
Michigan Child Support Formula Manual (Friend of the Court Bureau)
The Friend of the Court Bureau's Michigan Child Support Formula sets the guideline that calculates support and defines the minimum threshold for modification as 10 percent of the currently ordered support or 50 dollars per month, whichever is greater (2025 manual section 4.05).
Regional Variances
Michigan child support modification rules at a glance
Qualifying threshold
A court modifies support only on a substantial change in circumstances (MCL 722.27). After a Friend of the Court review, the office must seek a change when the recalculated amount differs from the current order by 10 percent of the current support or 50 dollars per month, whichever is greater (MCL 552.517).
Where to file
The circuit court, family division, in the county where your existing order was issued. The Friend of the Court office handling your case reviews support and can ask the court to change the order.
Modification form
Form FOC 50, the Motion Regarding Support. The other parent responds with Form FOC 51, and the court signs an Order Regarding Support (Form FOC 10/52). The forms are free through the Michigan courts SCAO forms library.
Retroactivity
A modification can reach back only to the date notice of the motion was given to the other parent, not to when circumstances changed (MCL 552.603). Support that already came due is a judgment and generally cannot be reduced.
Periodic review
If the Friend of the Court handles your case, you can generally request a review about every three years without showing a change, under federal rules, and sooner when a substantial change in circumstances occurs.
Suggested Compliance Checklist
Gather proof of your changed circumstances
Before you file days after startingCollect current pay stubs, tax returns, and proof of the change (job loss, income change, or a new parenting schedule), and estimate the new amount under the Michigan Child Support Formula. Attorney review of your filing is available through DocDraft.
Check the change against the threshold
Before you file days after startingCompare your estimate to your current order. After a Friend of the Court review, the office must seek a change when the difference is at least 10 percent of the current support or 50 dollars per month, whichever is greater (MCL 552.517).
Complete the Motion Regarding Support (FOC 50)
As soon as your circumstances change days after startingFill out Form FOC 50 asking to change child support, describe the changed circumstances, and attach proof of your current income. Use the free Michigan courts SCAO forms and instructions from the courts website.
File with the circuit court and Friend of the Court
Promptly (the change dates back to notice) days after startingFile your FOC 50 with the circuit court clerk that issued your order and give a copy to the Friend of the Court office. Pay the motion fee, or ask the court about a fee waiver if you cannot afford it.
Serve the other parent so notice is on record
After filing, before the hearing days after startingServe the other parent with your motion and file proof of service. Notice is the operative date in Michigan, because a change reaches back only to the date notice was given (MCL 552.603). The other parent can respond with Form FOC 51.
Attend the hearing and get the new order
On your hearing date days after startingGo to the hearing with your income proof, let the court recalculate support under the Michigan Child Support Formula, and get the signed Order Regarding Support (Form FOC 10/52), effective back to the notice date. Keep paying the current order until then.
| Task | Description | Document | Days after starting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gather proof of your changed circumstances | Collect current pay stubs, tax returns, and proof of the change (job loss, income change, or a new parenting schedule), and estimate the new amount under the Michigan Child Support Formula. Attorney review of your filing is available through DocDraft. | - | Before you file |
| Check the change against the threshold | Compare your estimate to your current order. After a Friend of the Court review, the office must seek a change when the difference is at least 10 percent of the current support or 50 dollars per month, whichever is greater (MCL 552.517). | - | Before you file |
| Complete the Motion Regarding Support (FOC 50) | Fill out Form FOC 50 asking to change child support, describe the changed circumstances, and attach proof of your current income. Use the free Michigan courts SCAO forms and instructions from the courts website. | - | As soon as your circumstances change |
| File with the circuit court and Friend of the Court | File your FOC 50 with the circuit court clerk that issued your order and give a copy to the Friend of the Court office. Pay the motion fee, or ask the court about a fee waiver if you cannot afford it. | - | Promptly (the change dates back to notice) |
| Serve the other parent so notice is on record | Serve the other parent with your motion and file proof of service. Notice is the operative date in Michigan, because a change reaches back only to the date notice was given (MCL 552.603). The other parent can respond with Form FOC 51. | - | After filing, before the hearing |
| Attend the hearing and get the new order | Go to the hearing with your income proof, let the court recalculate support under the Michigan Child Support Formula, and get the signed Order Regarding Support (Form FOC 10/52), effective back to the notice date. Keep paying the current order until then. | - | On your hearing date |
Frequently Asked Questions
A real, involuntary income drop can support a modification, but you must file a Motion Regarding Support to change the amount; support keeps accruing at the old rate until the court acts (MCL 552.603). A court may consider whether you are earning what you reasonably could. Do not simply stop paying in Michigan.
No. Either parent can file a Motion Regarding Support (Form FOC 50) alone in Michigan, and the other parent is served and can respond with Form FOC 51. If both parents agree, they can submit a consent order for the court to approve. The court still applies the Michigan Child Support Formula.
After you file Form FOC 50, the circuit court sets a hearing, often several weeks to a few months out depending on the county and the Friend of the Court's workload. An uncontested change can be faster. Because a change dates back only to the notice date, filing promptly protects you (MCL 552.603).
The Friend of the Court reviews support and, after recalculating, must ask the court to change it when the difference is at least 10 percent of the current support or 50 dollars per month, whichever is greater (MCL 552.517). The court, not the office, enters the modified order in Michigan.
You can file a motion in Michigan whenever a substantial change in circumstances occurs (MCL 722.27). Separately, if the Friend of the Court handles your case, you can generally request a review about every three years even without a change, under federal rules. There is no limit on filing when circumstances genuinely change.
A modification changes support only from the notice date forward (MCL 552.603). Support that already came due is a judgment, cannot be reduced or erased by a modification, and continues to be owed. Keep paying your current order to avoid building arrears while your motion is pending in Michigan.
Filing a Motion Regarding Support in circuit court carries a motion fee, but you can ask the court to waive it if you cannot afford it. A review handled through the Friend of the Court does not charge you a separate fee. Check with your county clerk for the current amount in Michigan.
You file Form FOC 50, the Motion Regarding Support, with the circuit court that issued your order, and attach proof of your current income. The other parent responds with Form FOC 51, and the court signs an Order Regarding Support (Form FOC 10/52). The forms are free on the Michigan courts website.
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