Life happens, and sometimes a parent may fall behind on child support payments. In many cases, those parents will work hard to catch up or seek a modification to get through the tough times. However, some parents resent paying child support and intentionally skip or stop making payments. The custodial parent must then take action to reclaim the funds he or she needs to provide the essentials for the child.
Fortunately, most parents have child support payments automatically deducted from their income or they agree on other methods of providing payment. For those who do not have this arrangement, they may have to resort to seeking the assistance of the New Jersey Child Support agency. Many parents are surprised to learn that their local agency is already aware of the delinquency. In fact, even if a supporting parent moves out of state, he or she cannot avoid child support since the federal government also tracks this information.
How can a parent get back payments?
Once a parent alerts the state agency of the child support delinquency, the state may take a number of actions, such as garnishing the supporting parent’s pay, seizing assets or (at the federal level) denying him or her a passport. The agency may take the matter to court, but the parent may also take this step. In this case, it will be important to coordinate with the agency on a strategy.
Child support is often essential for a custodial parent to provide a reasonable standard of living for a child. A parent who refuses to uphold his or her responsibility, even when the individual has the means to do so, may not be able to avoid this obligation indefinitely. Delinquent child support is considered a debt a supporting parent cannot evade, even by filing for bankruptcy.