Failure to pay child support can result in imprisonment.
Child support is a court-ordered payment made by a noncustodial parent to a custodial parent and is designed to help the custodial parent with the costs of raising a child. Many nations around the world have child support laws, because raising a child is considered a joint responsibility of the parents, whether they are together or not. It is granted by the court after the judge considers factors such as the non-custodial parent’s income, along with outstanding expenses paid by both parents. Once the court has ordered support, the noncustodial parent must pay it regularly.
Failure to pay child support can result in heavy fines.
Unfortunately, many parents avoid paying child support, using a variety of justifications. Common excuses for avoiding child support include an inability to pay, a lack of responsibility for money, an unwillingness to have the child first, protesting visitation arrangements, or a personal conviction that the amount of support premium is unfair. The burden of “dwelling” fathers falls heavily on women, who are more likely to receive primary custody, and dead-end fathers are a well-known social phenomenon in most countries. If a non-custodial parent feels that a sentence is unfair, it is their responsibility to file a formal action in the adjudication court.
Willful disobedience to a court order for child support can result in a civil contempt charge.
There are several options for recovering child support payments from a parent who is evading their obligations. Many parents are frustrated with the process and turn to a private agency to recover money owed to them, but there are legal courses to pursue, many of which are free. The first step is to document the nonpayment with the court that issued the initial child custody order. Court officials may work with the parents to try to reach an amicable settlement through mediation or find the non-custodial parent in contempt of court, which will initiate legal proceedings to recover money.
Wage promises, where money is taken directly from a person’s paycheck, can be used to pay child support.
Common methods of gaining support from delinquent parents include lump-sum wage garnishment, wage garnishment for regular monthly payments, seizure or pledging of assets, and intercepting tax returns. Failure to pay child support can also result in a fine and imprisonment, although this law is rarely enforced. The application for child support can also be made between states, with the court that awarded the payments requesting assistance from a child support agency in another state.