DELINQUENT CHILD SUPPORT
AND "DEADBEAT DADS."
Deadbeat dads who refuse to take care of their children force families into a life of struggle. Delinquent child support is one of the leading causes of poverty and financial distress in the United States; it's also a criminal offense under Federal Law.
In all fairness I need to point out that there are cases where the roles of men and women are reversed and the father is the parent who is owed the back child support but this is primarily a women's issue.
If you are owed child support there are a variety of resources available to help you collect what is past due and enforce that regular payments are made each month. If you ask for your state to help you with this problem you will get results. Delinquent child support and the poverty that results is a serious problem in this country and it appears to be one issue that government will act upon in a timely manner.
The first thing that you need to do is pick up your phone book and find the section for government listings. Look for the Child Support Enforcement Agency. You can also get this information by calling your state's Attorney General or local District Attorney.
When a state Child Enforcement Agency locates a non-paying parent you will be issued a certification of the delinquency and there will be a suspension of any state issued licenses that the non-payer may hold such as drivers license, professional licenses (attorney, physician, etc), their passport will be suspended and they will also lose their hunting or fishing license. The state will also forward their tax refunds to you to make up monies owed.
The state agency will usually also issue orders to the employer of the non-paying parent requiring that the child support payment be deducted from the non-paying parent's paycheck before it is issued. If the employer fails to withhold the money, the employer will be responsible for the payment.
If the non-paying parent resides in a different state than the state where you and your child live you need to contact the United States Department of Justice. They will have a local office and their number can also be found in the government listing of your phone book. They will help you to file a complaint and the U.S. Government will locate and then proceed against the non-paying parent.
Not paying child support is not just a despicable thing to do it is also a violation of Federal Law. This is a very serious offense in the eyes of the government. In order to establish that an offense has been committed the government must prove that the non-paying parent knew that he had a obligation to pay child support and that the payments are at least a year behind or in an amount of $5000 or more. They will also need to prove that the non-paying parent and the child reside in different states and that the non-paying parent was aware of his obligation to pay but willfully refused to make payments.
Remember, not paying child support is a violation of Federal Law but not paying child support for 2 years with a past due balance of at least $10,000. is a felony. This is serious and I promise that if you take the necessary steps that I have described here that you will get help.
Please Ladies, do what you need to do. Through my role as a Credit Counselor I have spoken to so many of you over the years and this situation is not a hardship that you need to endure. Take the advice of this article and make a better life for you and your child.
It's one thing when the father can't be located but it's altogether another issue if a parent doesn't pay and the custodial parent does nothing about it. Poverty breeds problems bigger than being poor. Please, pick up the phone book and make those calls.
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