I Have an Order for Child Support, I Have not Been Paid and I Do not know what to do

Statistics show that about 78% of parents pay their child support obligations in a timely fashion. But that the other 22% are either late or don’t pay at all. So how is it that they are able to get away without paying? Is there some way that you can get them moved into the ranks of the 78% that do pay? As a matter of fact there is and it’s easier than you might think.

Child support is probably the most maligned and hated issue that comes between parents of a child. The parent that has to pay it is generally resentful for a number of reasons:

• The amount far exceed the needs of the child
• The money is used to pay house bills and not strictly for child related expenses
• One parent out earns the other and is resentful that they have to help the other parent
• One parent may be a stay at home parent and the other parent believes they should contribute more
• The money improves the living condition of everyone in the home not just the child

These are all legitimate concerns and heartfelt, but none of them excuse paying the child support order. If you have heard the excuses above as being the reason they don’t pay and so they are punishing you, you now have recourse to get the money owed to you.

First you need to open a case with your local Child Services agency. You can give them the information from your court order and they can help you collect your child support. You will need to give them all of the information you can for them to contact the other parent. Their place of residence, place of work, phone numbers and anything else that will help them contact the parent.

You can also file a motion to have their wages withheld which makes their employer responsible for making sure you get paid. If the employer doesn’t send it then they are financially responsible. Very few employers are willing to be responsible for an employee’s child support.

Finally, if you have to resort to sneaky tactics, you can always send them information anonymously showing the penalties that your jurisdiction imposes like losing licenses, imposing liens, and so on. Most times they will call in and ask to work out a payment plan before they lose their privileges.

So stop waiting for the check that never comes, or tell someone with grown kids they can finally collect then sit back and let your government work for you.