It is important to take child support agreements seriously and involve the court early on if a parent is experiencing difficulty making monthly payments. A Florida man was recently jailed in another state for failure to make hundreds of thousands of dollars in support payments. The man is accused of failing to pay $452,000 in child and spousal support payments. The 51-year old man was recently charged, and jailed, for failure to pay required support payments. There is a separate federal case against the man for a failure to pay $160,000 in child support. According to federal authorities, the man purchased and developed property in Florida while failing to make required support payments. The man was jailed and a $25,000 bond was placed for his release.
Sometimes people may not realize how serious penalties for failure to pay child support can be. Penalties are not limited to wage garnishment and the withholding of tax refunds but can also include driver’s license suspension; occupational and business license suspension; denial of a passport and jail time.
Because of the Child Support Enforcement Act, the government may become involved in the enforcement of a child support order. As a result, it is important that parties abide by a child support order. When a party is unable to do so, it is important that the party seek a child support modification from the court while continuing to adhere to the existing support agreement. Child support modifications may be granted in different situations such as when parents or children have experienced a significant change in circumstances that would warrant a change in the child support order.
Continuing to make monthly payments, to avoid a pattern of delinquent payments, while promptly seeking a child support modification from the court, is essential to avoid penalties for failure to pay child support. Parents may have options available through the family law legal process when experiencing difficulty making child support payment but simply not making payments is not advisable or a good idea.
Source: The Journal News, “Florida man charged with not paying $452K in NY support,” May 23, 2014