Not receiving owed child support in Texas? You have options

On Behalf of | Jun 28, 2018 | Firm News

A judge has granted you custody of the children you share with another individual, and he or she has also ordered the other party to pay child support. This may seem like good news to you at first. However, the bad news is that the other party may not be reliable in making those child support payments long term.

As a single parent in Texas, you may naturally worry about being able to cover your family’s expenses every month. This is true even when you do receive on-time payments from the other parent. However, it is especially the case if the other parent fails to make payments consistently and in a timely manner. In some cases, the other parent may seem to have disappeared altogether. Fortunately, in these situations, you have the right to take action with the help of state officials.

Enforcement of child support in the Lone Star State

Perhaps you are having a hard time locating the noncustodial parent and he or she owes you child support. In this situation, it may behoove you to provide the appropriate Texas family law court — the one that issued the child support order — with as much information as possible about the other parent, as this will increase your chances of locating him or her.

Details that you may provide the court include the other parent’s name, his or her employer’s name, and his or her address. The person’s birthday and Social Security number, along with his or her banks and relatives’ names, may also be useful to the court. The court can then enforce its child support order once it has located the other party.

What happens if child support is delinquent?

If the other party is behind in his or her payments to you, a few options exist for enforcing the court’s child support order. For instance, employers may have to deduct child support payments from the other parent’s paychecks via wage withholding. Lottery winnings and federal tax checks can also be intercepted to cover overdue child support payments.

In addition, liens may be filed against the noncustodial parent’s assets. Furthermore, authorities may suspend the other party’s fishing, professional, driver’s and hunting licenses. Finally, you could file a lawsuit against the other parent requesting that court officials enforce their order. An attorney in Texas can walk you through the necessary steps for pursuing the child support due to you given the circumstances surrounding your case.

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