If you owe child support, you need to familiarize yourself with the potential consequences of falling behind on payments. Many parents do not realize that even a relatively small amount of back child support can lead to enforcement action.
In addition to financial ramifications, missing child support payments can also tarnish a parent’s reputation.
How much unpaid child support results in enforcement?
According to the Connecticut Judicial Branch, back child support can result in enforcement action if a non-custodial party owes at least $150, in cases where the custodial party receives public assistance. If the custodial party has never received public assistance, enforcement begins when the non-custodial parent owes at least $500 in back child support.
The state monitors parents who miss child support payments and if they fall behind, they receive a notice regarding a potential tax offset (this applies to federal as well as state tax returns).
What are some other ways the state enforces unpaid support?
Aside from tax offsets, there are other tools the state of Connecticut uses to enforce unpaid child support. For example, non-custodial parents who owe over $500 in unpaid child support can face property liens. Other measures include the denial of passport services, bank account seizure and the interception of lottery prizes. In fact, parents who owe at least $1000 in unpaid child have their names reported to credit monitoring bureaus.
If you are struggling to stay current on your child support, make sure you take a close look at strategies to make payments and get caught up. Some parents avoid these consequences by modifying their child support order or creating a payment plan.
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