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What can you do if your ex isn’t paying child support on time?

On Behalf of | Apr 9, 2021 | Family Law |

If you have an established child support order but aren’t receiving the payments your child deserves, that’s a violation of the order. The Florida Department of Revenue offers several ways of paying this support as well as seeking support payments that are not being made.

The Child Support Program works with partners and families to make sure that children get the right amount of support on time.

What can the program do if a parent isn’t paying on time?

If a parent isn’t paying voluntarily or regularly misses payments, there are some actions that the Child Support Program can take, such as:

  • Negotiating the terms of past-due support to bring a parent into compliance
  • Send income withholding notices to the parent’s employers to essentially garnish their wages
  • Suspending the parent’s recreational, professional or driving licenses
  • Taking the case to court for nonpayment, which may result in one of several outcomes, such as ordered job training, work search or contempt of court
  • Placing a lien on the person’s vehicles
  • Collecting money from the parent’s IRS tax refunds or other benefits, bank accounts or insurance settlements

As you can see, if a parent is not paying what they owe, there are several ways that the Child Support Program in Florida can step in to help.

Do you need to work with an attorney to have child support payments enforced?

It’s a good idea to work with your attorney, because they are familiar with your case and can help guide you and the program on the best options for collecting the debt. Our site has more on child support and what to do if payments aren’t being made.