Divorce can bring up a variety of difficult issues for people to work through, from disputes in court to depression and other negative emotions. For those who have children, ending a marriage can give rise to a number of legal matters and some parents struggle with child support payments in particular. There are different reasons why parents fall behind on the payments they owe, which can lead to serious consequences such as being taken into custody and having tax refunds intercepted.
Sometimes, non-custodial parents lose their ability to pay child support due to their position being terminated or some other factor that is out of their control, such as a medical crisis that arose suddenly. In other circumstances, a parent’s financial irresponsibility may leave them unable to pay child support. For example, someone may have a gambling problem and constantly lose too much money at the casino, or recklessly spend their money in another way. Some people simply have difficulty managing their finances and setting aside money each month.
If your financial habits create problems for you, it is important to address these issues immediately to make sure that you are able to stay current on child support. Many different consequences can arise for parents who fall behind on their payments, such as becoming ineligible to receive a passport and suffering damage to one’s reputation. You could be able to modify your child support order or set up a payment plan if you are having difficulty staying caught up on child support.
