When a parent fails to pay required child support, their child can suffer as a result. There are several different ways that child support obligations are enforced and it is helpful for Texas parents to be familiar with what those child support enforcement methods are.
Texas child support enforcement methods
There are several methods of enforcing child support including:
- License suspension: Parents who fail to pay their child support may have their driver’s licenses suspended. They may also have a professional, hunting or fishing licenses suspended for failure to pay child support.
- Passport denial: A new or renewed passport may be denied to a parent who has failed to pay child support.
- Lottery intercepts: Lottery winnings of the paying parent can be intercepted and applied to unpaid child support.
- Lien placement: Liens can be placed on a variety of different types of property and assets for failure to pay child support including properties, bank accounts, retirement plans, life insurance plans, personal injury claims, insurance settlement or awards and other assets as well.
- Credit bureau reporting: The amount of child support owed and the amount of child support paid is reported to credit bureaus which will reflect unpaid child support.
- Civil or criminal contempt of court: Nonpaying parents can be held in civil or criminal contempt of court for failure to pay child support which can also result in jail time in some instances.
Following a divorce, it is important to comply with divorce-related orders including child support orders. Parents who are facing challenges paying their child support may have child support modification options to consider and parents struggling to collect child support should be familiar with child support enforcement mechanisms in place to help them.