When the noncustodial parent fails to pay
child support, it can leave you having to provide for your child on your own. If this
is the case, your bills will pile up and the money you’ve acquired
from your job is spent on taking care of your child.
The following are several steps to take if your child support checks are
not coming in:
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Talk to him or her. If you are able to talk to your ex at all, it is imperative to determine
why he or she isn’t paying child support, especially if he or she
had been paying support in the past and suddenly stopped. Maybe your ex
lost his or her job or got involved in an accident and needs to cover
medical expenses.
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Cover your financial gap ASAP. No matter the reason why your ex is not paying you, you need to cover your
financial situation by finding another way to make more money or cut your
expenses. If you are fortunate enough to have wealthy family members help
you, which can work as well.
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Speak to an attorney about your legal options. Your lawyer can inform you about your legal rights and responsibilities.
If you wish to take your ex to court, your attorney can estimate how much
going to court will cost you.
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Reach out to your local government support agency. In every state, there are government agencies that are responsible for
collecting child support for you. They often enforce child support orders
free of charge. However, government agencies typically have a heavy caseload,
which means that you may not receive child support for a while.
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Seek help from a private child support collection agency. Private collection agencies are much more efficient and faster compared
to government agencies. They often work on a contingency fee basis, meaning
that they keep a percentage of the child support they collect for you
as their fee.
If you are interested in trying to get your ex to pay for child support
or modifying a current child support order, request a
free consultation with our Daytona Beach family lawyer at
Law Offices of Robert Stepniak today.