Strategies for Collecting Overdue Child Support

Has your ex fallen behind in child support payments? There are a variety of methods you can use with the help of your attorney to get the money you’re owed.

Here are a few examples of your options:

• Withholding income: Also referred to as “wage garnishment,” this is an enforcement tool in which the owed child support is automatically deducted from the wages of the supporting spouse. The state can order the employer of the paying spouse to automatically deduct that amount and send it to the local child support office or directly to the parent receiving support.
• Liens: If the parent who owes money owns real estate or other types of property, child support payments could be enforced by having a lien placed on the property. This may not lead to immediate payment, though—it will typically not result in debt satisfaction until the obligor sells the property or can pay off the lien.
• Freezing accounts: The state can freeze bank accounts for an obligor until they pay off their debts. If the obligor doesn’t pay within a certain amount of time, the financial institution may be able to seize assets from the account.
• License revocation: The state can revoke or suspend personal or professional licenses until an obligor pays off what they owe. This can include driver’s licenses, legal licenses, medical licenses, cosmetic licenses, etc.
• Withholding other sources of income: The state can stop payments from commissions, pensions, retirement accounts, disability benefits, military pay, veterans’ benefits and workers’ compensation until the obligor meets their child support responsibilities. They can also intercept your income tax refund.
• Going to court: When all other courses of action fail, you can work with your attorney to take the case to court and hold them in contempt of court, which can result in fines or jail time.

For more tips about how you can get child support money you’re owed, contact an experienced divorce lawyer at Jakubowski, Robertson, Maffei, Goldsmith & Tartaglia LLP.