An Overview Of Child Support Enforcement Strategies

If the court has ordered you to pay child support, you should do your best to honor the order for two main reasons. First, your child needs financial support. Secondly, child support obligations will follow you everywhere, and even the government will not rest until you make the payments. The following are some of the measures governments use to collect child support.

Diversion of Federal Payments

The government has the authority to divert your federal payments to the recipient parent. Tax refunds are the most common federal payment that the government can divert to the custodial parent. Say you are expecting $1,000 as a tax refund, but you also owe the custodial parent $600 in back child support. If the custodial parent has notified the child support enforcement agency of your arrears, the agency can write to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to divert $600 from your tax refund to be used as child support.

Wage Garnishment

Wage garnishment is also a common way of enforcing child support for non-custodial parents who are working. In this case, the collection agency will liaise with your employer to withhold a portion of your wages and send it to the collection agency. This is not a request; your employer is obligated to carry out the withholding as long as they get the correct order from the authorities.

Seizure of Professional or Driving Licenses

If you are a member of a professional organization that requires licensing, then the collection agency can instruct the organization to deny you a new license or a renewal license. Say you are a contractor or dentist, and you need to renew your license regularly to continue operating legally. You may not get your license until you clear your child support arrears. In fact, it's not just your professional license that you might lose; even your driving license can be suspended until you pay the child support you owe.

Placement of Property Liens

If you have a property with monetary value, the government may put a lien on the property until you pay child support. Having a lien on your property means you cannot sell, transfer ownership of or refinance the property. Having a lien on your property can also lower your credit rating.

Criminal Arrest

The government doesn't like to arrest people for child support owed. However, arrest and criminal prosecution is an option in extreme cases. You might face arrest and prosecution if the above efforts fail or if the government is convinced that you are able to make the payments, but you have chosen not to do so.

If you can't pay child support, file a modification request with the court; don't just stop making the payments. Consult a family law attorney like those at schreyerlawfirm.com to help you figure out how to mount a strong modification case.

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