When divorced parents hit rough financial times, they have to cut back on expenses. They may ensure they have food and shelter, with other bills and debts ignored. This means that many noncustodial parents fail to pay child support in full and on time. In fact, many children who require financial support do not actually receive it. Parents—both mothers and fathers—have an obligation to care for their children once they are born. This is true even if the parents never married or have divorced. Child support cannot be neglected. If you ignore child support, it does not go away or get erased. If you fail to pay the amount you are ordered to pay by the court, it starts to add up. You may not keep track of how much you owe, but the child support enforcement agency does. They will inform you before penalties occur. If you do not contact the agency to make arrangements to pay your child support debt, you could face numerous repercussions. Penalties for Not Paying Child Support If you do not pay child support on time, the child support enforcement agency will try to intercept the money through a variety of ways. It may garnish your wages and have your employer take the money directly from your paycheck. If you are expecting a tax refund, it may take it from the IRS before you even see it. If you win the lottery or win a large sum of money from gambling, the winnings may be given to the custodial parent. If the child support enforcement agency cannot get any money through these means, then they will enforce harsher penalties. As a first step, you may lose your driver’s license. Child support agencies communicate with the state’s motor vehicle department regularly, so if you’re not paying child support, you could receive a notice that your license is about to be suspended. Make sure to take the proper steps to prevent this from happening. You may also lose your passport and not be given the opportunity to renew it. This will prevent you from trying to flee the country to evade child support. If your job requires you to travel internationally, you will not be able to do so, and this can affect your employment. If you are in the military, failure to pay child support will get you dismissed from service. As a last resort, those who fail to pay child support can be put in jail. However, this is not often used as punishment because it does not adequately address the situation. Putting a parent in jail leaves them unable to work and earn money. Learn More About Child Support Requirements If you are having difficulty paying for child support, get legal help. A lawyer can help you petition the court to reduce the payments temporarily. If you stop making payments, you could face serious repercussions. Don’t let that happen. If you are unsure about your child support obligations, get the answers you need. Contact an experienced family law attorney to learn more.
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