There are few things more aggravating, and potentially damaging to a family and your children if your former spouse refuses to pay child support. Please continue reading and reach out to our experienced Bergen County family law attorneys to learn more about how we can help you through this difficult time.
What should I do if my former spouse is not paying child support?
If your former spouse is refusing to pay the child support you are owed, you may reach out to the Office of Child Support Services (OCSS) whether your child support payments are made or received through the OCSS or not. If payments are made through them, OCSS agents will automatically begin enforcing your agreement, should your former spouse fall more than two weeks behind. Even if your payments are not made through OCSS, you may request that they intervene, however, there is a chance they may not act as quickly as you would like, as history has shown. In this case, you may wish to hire legal representation.
How do courts enforce child support orders?
Child support payments are made in the best interest of a child, which is why New Jersey courts will seek to harshly penalize all those who violate their child support orders. Some of the most common punishments for refusing to pay child support are as follows:
- Suspending your former spouse’s driver’s license
- Not allowing your former spouse to have his/her passport renewed
- Suspending the individual’s professional license if applicable
- Garnishing the individual’s wages
- Seizing assets from the individual’s bank account
- Placing liens on the neglectful individual’s assets
- Seizing tax refunds, winnings in personal injury claims, or even lottery winnings.
Although taking these actions against your former spouse should be enough to get him or her to pay the child support owed, if not, there are additional actions courts can take. For example, under certain circumstances, they may report the neglectful parent to credit agencies which can have a huge impact on their credit score, and, in the most severe cases, they may even issue a warrant for your former spouse’s arrest. No matter the circumstances, if you need an attorney on your side, look no further. Our Bergen County family law firm is here.
Contact our experienced Bergen County firm
At Townsend, Tomaio & Newmark, our attorneys have extensive experience helping clients to understand and protect their legal rights before, during, and after the divorce process in towns across New Jersey and Bergen County, including Hackensack, Ridgewood, Paramus, Teaneck, and Fort Lee. To speak with our team of divorce lawyers today in a free and confidential consultation regarding your concerns about your divorce, please contact us online, or through our Hackensack, NJ office at (201) 397-1750.
