• 25
  • December
    2011

As custodial parents throughout Maryland know all too well, a divorce decree that orders child support payments does not guarantee children will actually get the financial support they deserve. In fact, data gathered by the U.S. Census Bureau indicates more than half of the parents who are supposed to be collecting child support are not receiving their full payment.

While it is clearly in the best interests of the child to pay child support, roughly one out of every four divorced parents is not getting any of the financial support he or she is entitled to receive. Actually, it is estimated that one out of three divorced parents receives only a portion of the support spelled out in the divorce decree.

Fortunately, there are ways to enforce a child support order. Custodial parents who are not receiving the child support they are entitled to get can contact their state's Office of Child Support Enforcement. The agency is authorized to take action when a former spouse or non-custodial parent is not making appropriate payments. The agency has a variety of options for collecting from parents who refuse to pay.

For instance, the state agency can garnish wages out of a former spouse's paycheck. The state can also redirect tax refunds, unemployment insurance payments and workers' compensation payments directly to the parent who is owed child support.

Depending on the amount owed and other factors, criminal charges can also be filed against parents who fail to pay child support. Placing a lien on property or vehicles owned by the parent who owes child support is also an option.

Finally, the agency can also suspend a delinquent parent's passport and driver's license, professional licenses and recreational licenses. This can be particularly troublesome for parents who drive for a living, such as over-the-road truck drivers or bus drivers. In the end, delinquent support will impact a parent's credit score. Unpaid child support is a debt and can be reported to credit bureaus.

Source: Forbes, "How Can a Divorcing Woman Get the Child Support, Alimony She is Owed?" Jeff Landers, Dec. 14, 2011.