Collecting Child Support

07 Oct Collecting Child Support

Child support is one of the most common terms thrown around in the realm of family law. But how is child support actually paid and enforced?

Typically, child support is paid directly from one spouse, or parent, to the other, by virtue of a court order or by agreement between the parties. In that instance, staying current on child support, and making sure the other party receives the support, can be seen as the responsibility of the one who pays.

On the other hand, child support may be paid by what is known as immediate income withholding. Like its name suggests, immediate income withholding is when your income is immediately withheld from your paycheck in the amount of your required child support. Immediate income withholding requires the payor to submit paperwork to their employer so the correct amount of support can be taken from the payor’s paycheck. The withheld amount is sent to Child Support Enforcement Services, who then sends the amount to the one receiving the support.

Although this may seem like less reoccurring responsibility for the paying parent, be sure to follow up with Child Support Enforcement Services that your papers were processed. Otherwise, you may later find yourself behind in support when you were under the impression you had done what was required.