Raising a child is a rewarding experience, but it is also a costly one. Keeping a roof over a child’s head and food on their plate can be challenging for any parent, regardless of their income. When a child’s two parents separate or go through divorce, they may be subject to a child support order that dictates how much each of their parent’s is obligated to pay for their care.
In New Jersey and through jurisdictions throughout the country, some parents stop paying their child support orders. For some, payments are hard to make due to losses of employment or changes in expenses. For them, modifications may be possible to make child support a more manageable obligation.
However, a parent who willfully stops paying child support may be subject to enforcement efforts through the state. This post will discuss some of the ways that parents may be compelled to pay or catch up on their support obligations.
Enforcement options
One way that the state can seek child support money from a nonpaying parent is through income withholding. When this happens, a parent’s income is taken and used to fulfill their child support obligation. Similarly, the state can seize cash or cash equivalents from a nonpaying parent’s back accounts for the payment of their child support.
Parents who do not pay child support may see their driving privileges suspended and their credit scores impacted. They may be subject to bench warrants and even criminal sanctions.
Dealing with a nonpaying parent
It can be frustrating to have to deal with a co-parent who won’t pay their child support. Parents do not have to approach these challenging issues alone. Their trusted family law lawyers can support them as they fight for their kids and their rights to full and ordered child support.