Parents who don’t pay their mandatory child support payments are in contempt of court. The court will tally the missed payments, categorized as in arrears. This allows the court to start enforcement procedures to recover the payments.
The parent who receives payments can request help from the court to enforce the child support order.
Enforcement Procedures
Delinquent parents who owe back child support may have their:
- Tax refund sent to the child’s other parent
- Wages garnished
- Driver’s license suspended
- Passport denied
- Professional licenses suspended
The paying parent can ask for modifications to the child support order if they’re having trouble making payments. But the request is not retroactive, and they must prove a substantial change in their circumstances to justify the change.