When a parent is not able to pay child support, for whatever reason, there is a long list of challenges they may have to work through. It is not uncommon for people in this position to have an incredible amount of anxiety over their circumstances, but they may also face harsh penalties. For example, some may even be taken into custody for failing to pay child support. With this said, there are many other hardships that parents who owe back child support may face. For example, if a parent owes a certain amount of unpaid child support, they may not be able to apply for a passport.
There are a multitude of ways in which being barred from obtaining a passport can make life challenging. Non-custodial parents who owe back child support may not be able to travel for leisurely purposes, of course. However, they may also have to miss out on very important business meetings or family events, such as a wedding taking place overseas. This underlines the importance of paying child support and staying current. If you have fallen behind, you should stay committed to becoming caught up and look into your options. For example, modifying your child support order could be a possibility.
Sometimes, a child support order can be modified due to significant life changes, such as the loss of a job. If you navigate to our law firm’s child custody and time-sharing section, you can read more material that has to do with family law.