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What help is available when your ex is behind on child support?

On Behalf of | Aug 1, 2022 | Child Support

As a parent who has more time with the children every month, you contribute a lot of your personal energy and income toward their maintenance and needs. Although your ex pays support, it likely pales in comparison to what you do to support your children.

When you compare what it costs to care for your children with what your ex pays in child support every month, the support you receive may seem offensively low. However, what you receive is invaluable because it helps you make ends meet for your household.

While you depend on those funds to pay your bills, your ex has started falling behind. Maybe they have sent only partial payments, or perhaps they haven’t sent anything at all. If they don’t respond to your inquiries and show no signs of catching up on their past-due support, you may need help getting them to pay.

How does Michigan help you enforce a child support order?

The state has the authority to take numerous enforcement actions. The Friend of the Court is likely already aware that your ex has fallen behind on payments. However, you can potentially speed up enforcement efforts by making an enforcement support request of your own.

Until your ex brings their child support account back into compliance, the state can garnish their wages, intercept tax returns and even place a lien against some of their property. The state can refuse to grant or renew passports and licenses. From the driver’s license that allows your ex to get to work every day to the hunting license that lets them hit the woods with their friends in the fall, the loss of a license can be a powerful motivator.

In severe cases, the courts may even issue a bench warrant for someone who has fallen far behind on child support or pursue criminal charges against them.

Interstate enforcement is available in some cases

There are some people who will take extreme measures to avoid their responsibilities as a parent. If your ex has crossed state lines to avoid paying child support, you may be able to hold them responsible for a Michigan child support order where they live now. How the state enforces support varies from location to location, but no state allows parents to simply ignore child support orders without consequences.

Understanding how the state helps enforce past-due child support can empower parents dependent on support.