Increasing or reducing child maintenance in Greece: when to review it and what evidence is needed

Start with the existing order or agreement

Read the complete document setting maintenance: a judgment, interim arrangement or agreement. Record the period it covers, its provisions for regular and exceptional expenses and whether a later instrument exists. The question is not only how much is paid today, but for which period and on what basis. A short extract or an old message is not a substitute for the full document.

Civil Code Article 1494 permits judicial variation when the conditions on which maintenance was determined have changed. Timing and the stage of earlier proceedings affect the appropriate route. A claim for a later period is not necessarily the same procedure as varying an existing judgment. An agreement also needs review of its terms and legal form before a replacement arrangement is proposed.

Describe what has changed, rather than suggesting a percentage

The assessment concerns the child's needs and both parents' financial means. New healthcare or educational needs, changes to regular expenses, loss of employment or changed earnings require a fact-specific assessment. None automatically produces a fixed percentage increase or reduction. The legal review should distinguish an actual change from an assumption about the other parent's finances.

If relying on lower earnings, show their development over an adequate period rather than selecting a single month. If seeking a higher contribution, organise the child's expenses without double counting or including unrelated household costs. Explain which items recur, which are exceptional, who pays them and how they differ from the previous period. Keep estimates separate from amounts already invoiced or paid.

Prepare a clear before-and-after evidence file

Use a short comparison with dates and supporting documents for each significant change. For a new treatment expense, include the relevant medical recommendation and receipts. For an employment change, collect the contract, termination information and available pay records. Give the lawyer a timeline explaining when the change began and how long it has continued, rather than a folder of unsorted screenshots.

Include facts that may make your own request harder to establish. Do not obtain unauthorised access to the other parent's accounts or records, and do not alter messages. Organising what you lawfully hold helps identify gaps before choosing negotiations or court action. If a document needs translation, flag it early and keep the original alongside the translation rather than replacing it with an informal summary.

• The complete order or agreement, service records and later arrangements
• Tax records, pay documents and evidence of employment changes
• An itemised child-expense record with receipts and dates
• Payment evidence and a timeline of the changed circumstances

Until the arrangement is lawfully changed

Payment difficulties call for timely legal advice, not an arbitrary stop to maintenance. Do not assume that filing a request for change itself suspends an existing obligation. Any need for interim protection, and the date from which a new arrangement could take effect, require separate assessment. A desired reduction should not be presented to the other parent as if it had already been approved.

Keep clear evidence of every payment and communicate calmly about the child's needs. If a new agreement is possible, arrange appropriate legal documentation; a message exchange should not be assumed to replace an enforceable instrument. For advice in Heraklion, start with the existing order and the precise change requested. If either parent lives abroad or an order was made outside Greece, disclose that at the outset because jurisdiction and applicable-law questions may also need review.