If your child’s other parent does not pay his or her child support on time, your child is ultimately the one who suffers. Unfortunately, many parents with child support obligations do not stay current with support payments, placing both themselves and the support-receiving parent in a difficult conflict. For the parent trying to cover the shortfall of income, this can seem like a hopeless circumstance with no solution.
However, the law does provide receiving parents with some recourse against nonpaying or delinquent parents. Depending on the how much support a parent owes and how many months behind he or she is on payments, a number of authorities may impose several different kinds of pressure on the nonpaying parent to catch up on their support and remain current. These consequences may include
- Wage garnishment
- Property seizure
- Seizure of tax refunds
- Professional license suspension
- Driver’s license suspension
- Incarceration
These remedies all affect a parent with varying degrees of severity, and even if a remedy is possible, it is not always in the best interest of the child. One can easily see how a parent who cannot drive or who is incarcerated might face additional difficulty earning money to pay back support he or she owes, for instance.
Before you pull every lever you can find in desperation, be sure to consult with an experienced family law attorney to explore your options fully and protect your rights. You may find that you and your child’s other parent can reach an understanding and get back on track with a little legal guidance, keeping your child’s best interests at the heart of the solution.
Source: FindLaw, “Enforcement of Child Support: FAQ’s,” accessed Jan. 05, 2018