After a divorce, you may feel as though you have little support. If the other parent only shows up occasionally for visitation, you may not have much time to take care of your house or advance your career.
You probably need child support in order to provide everything that your kid needs. When your ex stops paying or doesn’t pay the full amount they should, you may not be able to pay all of your bills that much. Having unpaid child support undermining your financial stability can affect your living circumstances and mental health. Will the Connecticut family courts do anything to help you enforce the child support order?
If you ask for enforcement assistance, the state can take several steps
Child support enforcement isn’t always automatic. Although the state does its best to enforce orders and arrange for the immediate withdrawal of child support funds from paychecks before workers receive them, it can be hard to track those who change jobs frequently.
Additionally, those who are self-employed or have other unusual circumstances may be able to avoid the wage withholding system that facilitates automatic child support in Connecticut.
What if intercepting wages isn’t an option?
If neither you nor the state can get money from your ex’s paychecks, there are several other support enforcement options. The state could:
- Refuse to issue or renew a driver’s license, recreational license or professional license
- Initiate contempt proceedings for failure to comply with a court order
- Issue a bench warrant for their arrest for not following a court order
If the other parent moves out of the state, possibly to avoid their support obligations, there are additional options. The Child Support Enforcement Services Unit could arrange out-of-state income withholding, register your order in your ex’s new state of residence, secure a lien on their real property or even refer the case out for federal prosecution.
Enforcement options are diverse because consequences motivate people differently. Although it can take some time for enforcement actions to result in receiving the money you deserve after your divorce, the sooner you ask for help such as contempt of court proceedings, the sooner you might receive your past-due child support.
