Child support enforcement is important for children who have a right to financial support from their parents, and for parents and families generally. There are times when child support needs to be enforced, which is why parents should be familiar with the different methods of child support enforcement.
Child support enforcement methods
There are three primary tools that are used to enforce child support including:
- Income withholding – child support enforcement may be conducted using a court order to deduct money from the non-custodial parent’s income. Income refers to wages, overtime pay, workers’ compensation, unemployment compensation, retirement benefits and other sources of income.
- License suspension – if the court finds that the non-custodial parent failed to follow their court order of child support, they may order the non-custodial parent’s driver’s license be suspended. The non-custodial parent may also have their professional, occupational, or recreational license suspended after 30 days.
- Contempt – if the family law court finds that the non-custodial parent willfully failed to obey the child support order, they may be found in contempt of court and may be ordered to pay a lump sum of money. The non-custodial parent can also face jail time until the sum of money they have been ordered to pay is paid.
Child support and determining child support is an important part of the divorce process. It is equally important to know how to enforce child support when it needs to be collected. Child support enforcement mechanisms can ensure child support is paid, and other family law resources may also be available to help modify child support when the non-custodial parent is experiencing difficulty meeting their child support obligations.
