Enforcing Child Support Orders: Dealing With a Deadbeat Parent

Establishing Child Support

You must first get a court order to establish child support – this can be done in conjunction with a dissolution of marriage or if the parents are not married through a paternity action. A judge must approve your agreement and turn it into an official court order.

Enforcing Child Support and Collection of Back Child Support

Once established, a child support order must be obeyed. If not, custodial parents may ask an the Court or their Office of Child Support Enforcement for help. A delinquent parent may be subject to any, or all, of the following enforcement tools:

  • Wage Deductions – the custodial parent, his or her attorney, or OCSS can request an income withholding order or wage assignment. With a wage deduction, child support is taken directly out of the non-custodial (paying) parent’s wages.
  • Federal Income Tax Intercepts – the state can intercept a large tax refund to cover late or missing child support payments.
  • License Suspensions and Revocations – a delinquent parent’s driver’s license(s) and/or professional license(s) may be revoked.
  • Passport Restrictions – a parent that fails to pay child support may be prevented from renewing his or her passport (and therefore prevented from leaving the country).
  • Contempt of Court – this is a legal order that may result in a fine or jail time for the parent who failed to make court-ordered support payments. However, the custodial parent (or his or her attorney) must go to court to obtain this order from a judge.

Getting Help

You can talk to an experienced family law attorney Carmelina Marin for help enforcing your child support order.

Client Resources

At The Marin Law Firm, P.A., we believe our best client is an informed client.

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