What Happens If You Don't Pay Child Support?

Not paying child support in the United States has become a criminal offence and can cause many issues for those who choose to take that path.  In most cases, it’s going to result in some combination of an arrest warrant being issued, your driver’s license being suspended, your income taxes both state and federal will be seized and applied to your child support and your wages could be garnished.    Many states are cracking down on dead beat parents that do not fulfill their financial obligations in regards to their children.  There is a clear cut division however that some do not mention, the more affluent or capable of those seeking assistance in collecting child support will be required to pay for a private agency to pursue their complaint of nonpayment of child support. 

All state agencies that provide assistance to the impoverished communities have some form of child support assistance available to assist their clients.  These state level child support agencies have gotten very good at what they do and are becoming far more effective in interstate communications.  Some states do offer the states assistance at a minimal fee to those that do not receive state benefits.  If you choose not to pay child support and your children are living in impoverished conditions on the states tab, you will get that knock on the door or pulled over and hauled off to jail.  Every state now has strict guidelines in the payment of child support and coordinates the efforts of all social service agencies, legal professionals and the entire judicial system into efficient and relentless pursuers of dead beat parents. 

You might want to think twice about not paying child support.  Not only will your children suffer, immediately, you will too suffer the consequences eventually.

I have been raising my 12 year old step son since he was 2 I really can't say that I am his step mom because I am all he knows but his deadbeat biological mother or should I say egg donor is only ordered to pay 130.00 a month which she does not do she has paid 900.00 in 10 years when she feels like it or they threaten to suspend her drivers license. I think that sometimes men get the short end of the stick and are always made out to be dead beat dads but I am here to tell you that there are dead beat moms out there as well.

I have been with CSE (child support enforcement) here in Florida for about 9 years now. It has been my experience that the whole system needs an overhaul. Non custodial parents (NCP) that won't pay their court ordered child support, have WAY too long a grace period. The state will send out a letter, notifying them they are late on their payment, like they didn't know it already, and then if you are lucky will begin the licenses suspension, but if you childs NCP lives out of state, its a very very long wait for any real enforcement action to take place.  Sometimes it can be upwards of over 7 months.

To those that have posted that women should just give the child to the dad if they want child support: You are required by law in every state to support the child you helped create. The amount you pay in CS is NOT a total amount needed to raise a child, its a portion.  Its not a real hard concept to grasp.  But if you think you can raise a kid on 400.00 a month, you are totally out of touch with reality.

It's not the custodial parent that is to blame, whether they work or not. It's the deadbeat NCP's that will not pay their support, what kind of person does that, seriously how do you sleep at night?

Well me start off by saying I have two beautiful girls by someone who I was with 4 1/2 years. Ten weeks ago he just took off. He hasn't called his kids, seen them or even payed child support for them .

I have not heard one word from him. I honestly don't even know if he's alive. The father of my children is a dead beat dad. As for me growing up I was raised by my father because my mother walked off when I was 2. Even growing up she NEVER wanted anything to do with me. She never paid a dime for me or my sister and brothers. My mother cheated on my father and had my brother and then had me with my dad. When my mother took off my dad raised two kids that weren't even his. My dad busted his ass off to support four kids with only two being his. My dad is my whole world. So there are some honest good men out there. And there and some dead beats. But that goes the same way for some mothers too. I haven't talked to my mother in two years. She has only seen her grandchildren once. So yes there are some mothers out there who are dead beat moms as well. So just because your children have a dead beat dad does not mean every dad in the world is a dead beat!! I don't know what I would do without my father. My two brothers who are not my fathers call him dad. And what upsets me the most is the father of my children knew how my mother was and he seen me go through pain all the time growing up. And he still walked out on his kids. And as for child support I don't ask for any. I just ask for help buying things they need. Coats, clothes, etc. So I do NOT try to rob him out of any money I don't need!!

First off not all men are dead beats, I can say though that mine is he refuses to pay the 265.00 a month ordered by court and has not seen his child in 5 1/2 years.  In this case yes I feel he should be punished because he is shunning his responsiblity and giving the good dads out there a bad name.

If you're claiming disability, your SSDI disbursements CAN be attached :)
Meaning, if your child(ren)'s mother gets the SSDI order to the CHILD SUPPORT office, they'll TAKE whatever you owe in child support before you EVER SEE your check ;)
How do I know... MY childs father had the SAME DEADBEAT LOSER outlook as you... And guess what... He was granted disability, and now, I get her child support... Ev-er-y- month! Hahahaha
P.S. I work hard EVERYday... And I 'm not on ANY assistance. What men pay in child support is usually PITTANCE in relation to what it actually TAKES to provide for a child...
Get a life.

What if you are paying at least something, can a judge lock you up and what can you do if he does?

If child support is not paid the child support agency may approach a court to bring an action known as judicial enforcement against the offending party. The child support agency can file charges of criminal non support or civil contempt of court after this stage is reached. Legislations that have been recently enacted give the child support agency the right to opt for the option of an administrative enforcement. The procedure of going through court can result in a fine or a jail term being imposed on the offending party; whereas, an administrative enforcement can have a child support lien being placed on the property of the defaulting party. It is always advisable to contact the child support agency as soon as possible in case your circumstances have changed and payment is proving difficult.

Well, I'm a mother and work a full time job and I go to school full time. I did not toss my legs up to anyone out the club, bc first off I don't go out to the club..... It was with the man I was with for 2 yrs..... He doesnt work, or even help me with my daughter, but yet he goes out to the club every weekend and get drunk with friends... So yes he is on child support and I do hope the judge locks his ass up.....

I live in fort myers and can't find a job to save my life I revived papers from the sheriff stating I was going to have a court date for child support but never got the letter saying when the court date was then one month later I revived papers in the mail saying I owed 300.00 in support but like I said I never had a court date I went down to the child support office and they said they couldn't help me went down to the clerk of courts they said they couldn't help me called a lawyer and they said they would help me for a small fee of 5,000.00 lets see I don't have a job can't pay 300.00 a month but I'm supposed to come up 5,000.00 isn't there a" free" states attorney  that could help me ?" yeah yeah I know this is one long run on sentence " so keep it on the subject please

Relationships don't always work and I tried to make mine work for 11 years we have an 8 year old daughter, he was constantly cheating and drinking I always worked full-time and did all I could I think its wrong to just assume a woman wants just money, rasing kids is a very hard job and unfortunatley it not free they cost money one parent shouldn't have to do it alone. Just like one person said a woman opened her legs well the guy was willing and able also so he should support his child, its about the child its not pay back or getting even its about the welfare of the child and supporting them so they have what they need. Don't assume anything not all woman are the same and not all men are some men actually love and support their children without any problems and some women actually need the child support to provide for their children.

I pay 800 in child support plus 70% of the debt.  I cannot make the payments any more as I simply cannot afford to live.  I know that I have never missed a payment up to now.  My ex will not help me.

What frustrates me is she lives with her parents and she pays no bills.  She gets 800 a month and she works full time.

She tells me it is not enough.....WHAT!  I can simply not afford unless I live in my car?  I have no idea what to do?

Child support doesn't give you enough to "sit on your ass". I'll only be recieving $200 a month. They say in Florida they are really strick about child support. I found out when my son's father and I seperated he was $75,000+ behind with his ex. He's still walking around free and clear and isn't payin a dime. He moved out of state and is being pain under the table to get out of paying child support. He won't have any part of my son's life, but I'll be damned if he's not going to help me support him.

If you don't pay child support, someone is bound to take you to court.

I am owned almost 2,000 dollars in back child support and my daughters father has a warrent out for back child support .

I am going thur a custody battle between me and my Ex-husband. I needed help from him and he asked me to keep the kids for one school year while
I finished school. Did not know he tricked me in allowing them to stay
with him for 6 months. Now they passed a law that if a child stays with
you for 6 months or more you can legally try to take custody. I did not
know that and was served 3 days before mother's day. Here I am thinking
that he wanted to help me, but he tricked me into getting custody. When
you go thur a custody battle, where the kids are at  they have to stay
until the courts decide where they should go. Well I have been ordered
to pay child support until every thing is finalized, the only thing is
should I pay child support, or my lawyer. I do not want to hurt my case,
but I have no money and I have to pay my lawyer to fight my case. No
one will work for free. I am behind, and owe 6 months. That is because
my car ( which I think my Ex stole- a long story ) was stolen, and I had
to buy a car to get me to work, plus pay my bills and my lawyer. So I
am stuck wondering what do I do.

I am a child of a single parent family. My parents have been divorced for over 6 years he has never payed child support not once. Some of you are right when you say the mothers are just sitting around doing nothing waiting for the money to fall from the sky, but thats not the case with my mom she is a working single mother and has never made any excuses to me. You're right not all dad's are dead beat but for the ones who are you're giving all fathers out there a bad name. When your dad is a dead beat dad and your mom is hard-working and loving I think she deserves to sit down and relax and maybe have someone care for her. To all you dead beat dad's that are posting here tell us how your ex is just sitting on her ass doing nothing and waiting for the money you're wrong she is providing your children something you have not. She is providing them love. Raising a child is not just giving money have you thought of loving them. $700 a month is not a lot when you think about it, you have not sacrificed anything.

How does one parent prove they are not receiving child support payments? Maybe she lies!

In Florida, one has to be behind a couple of payments then dum dee dumm dumm....here come 'da Judge! See you later Jack, have fun in jail!

Look theres many many people who have child support issues yes jobs don't pay and bills don't get added to the child support figure if both parents was living with eachother the bills would be for everyone, so theres a diffrence , theres people out there who get sick and have true medical issues that can't simply pay child support, but theres some people who doesnt know about being sick or truly have a medical condition thats stops them from working, I feel theres a lot of people that always say'' he should pay more orr they should be working, 2 out of 10 people complain when they don't even work,, I hear a lot of poeple complain but they recieve welfare while the other works to pay support, this country needs to wake up and do whats right, stop all the complaining,  this world is getting tougher everyday nothing is easy, humans arnt gods so stop dreaming if you need more money well go make some stop complaing all the time

I think its not fair to fathers having to pay outraigeous amounts of child support . The system is so women can sit on their butts an get money from the father . Which is more than enough most of the time to raise the chiild . What is the sence of sending someone to jail . It just makes the parent hate the other one more . A lot of women are heartless . Think of what it does to the kid when their father is in jail cause the mother wants money they cannot afford .