Enforcing Child Support Orders
Child support is important to children and their custodial parent, and when support is delayed or not paid at all, it is the children who suffer the most. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, children of single parents are at greater risk of economic hardship, financial instability, and poverty. In situations where the non-custodial parent has a child support order, these risks can be greatly reduced, but only if the paying parent actually pays what is owed. Unfortunately, delinquent payments are all too common. An experienced child support enforcement attorney can help you work with the courts to enforce payments and to recover overdue payments as well.
The Bureau of Child Support Enforcement
The Pennsylvania Bureau of Child Support Enforcement (BCSE) is an invaluable tool for parents who are unable to collect the support order that the delinquent parent has refused to pay. The BCSE boasts that it is the “only state in the nation to meet or exceed all five performance standards that the federal government sets in determining effectiveness of state child support enforcement programs,” including determining paternity, establishing support orders, collecting monthly support, and collecting overdue support. You can petition the court to use the following methods to enforce an existing child support order if the paying parent refuses to pay:
- Hold the paying parent in civil contempt;
- Jail the paying parent for up to six months, fine them up to $500, or place them on probation for up to six months;
- Seize their bank accounts, personal injury or workers’ compensation claims, or federal and state tax refunds;
- Suspend the paying parent’s driver’s license, professional license, occupation license, or recreational licenses;
- Deny their passport;
- Place a lien on their real property;
- Intercept their lottery winnings;
- Report them to the credit bureau reporting; and/or
- Use social shaming by publishing their name in a newspaper as a delinquent parent.
Collecting Overdue Payments
Over half of child support payments go unpaid, which amounts to a total of 3.3 million “deadbeat” or delinquent parents who fail to pay what they owe their children. According to NBC News, the average overdue payment amounts to $21,000. In many cases, the amount of overdue support is even more than that. It can be incredibly hard to recover overdue payments that have built up for years, as many individuals do not have assets worth that much. Your best chance is to work with an experienced family law attorney who can help you collect all past overdue payments and attorney and court fees.
Call a Pittsburgh Child Support Enforcement Lawyer Today for Overdue Payments
If you are dealing with a delinquent parent, you need legal assistance. You should not be held responsible for single handedly financially raising your child; let an attorney help hold the other parent accountable. Call the Pittsburgh family attorneys at Bunde & Roberts today at 412-391-4330 today to schedule a consultation.
Resources:
acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/programs/css/sbtn_csp_is_a_good_investment.pdf
nbcnews.com/politics/congress/over-3-million-americans-delinquent-child-support-could-lose-stimulus-n1173551
humanservices.state.pa.us/CSWS/csws_controller.aspx?qQ1CTaXSPXTrPFTBnF8Qj1r1OZnFudOHdoLzap668sA-lvIExzF1LHoc13PhZ5IVSV9h5_5jUDpMCXfGQOy9rYR1RulPEhxV
https://www.bunderoberts.com/how-reproductive-technology-can-affect-custody/
