Rockville Child Support Enforcement Lawyer

Child support payments help to cover the costs associated with raising a child. In the State of Maryland, both of a child’s parents are responsible for providing for a couple’s children. When parents are not a couple, the courts often order one parent to pay a set amount of money to the other for these costs.

Unfortunately, sometimes a parent obligated to make payments will not abide by the terms of the court order. When this happens, the support receiving parent can face difficult financial circumstances that could impact the child’s well-being.

Occasionally, a parent’s circumstances make it difficult for a parent to make payments, such as in cases of job loss. Even if there is a legitimate reason, the paying parent cannot simply pay less or cease making payments. If you are not receiving support payments, you should contact a Rockville child support enforcement lawyer to discuss your options for obtaining those payments.

The Role of the Maryland Child Support Administration

The Child Support Administration (CSA) can help set up payment terms and process payments. When a parent fails to pay, the CSA can work with the party to enforce the order. When a parent is behind on support, CSA can take steps to acquire the funds and penalize the non-paying party.

Some of the ways CSA can obtain the funds include intercepting tax returns, collecting workers’ compensation benefits or unemployment payments, ordering the paying parent’s employer to pay the funds directly to CSA, and placing liens on the paying parent’s property. CSA can also penalize the parent by suspending their driver’s license and by revoking or restricting the person’s passport. The Administration may also take the person to court where the judge can hold that individual in contempt.

While there are many legal remedies available to a parent seeking child support from another person, the system can prove complicated, and it takes time to obtain the missing payments. Hiring a Rockville child support enforcement attorney can help a person navigate the system.

Out-of-State Parents and Other Considerations

If a parent does not live in Maryland, that party still owes child support obligations. Sometimes the parent seeking support payments might not even know where the parent who owes the support resides. An attorney discuss your options to enforce child support obligations.

While in simpler cases, the parent making payments might have a steady job with predictable income, this is not always the case. If a parent works under the table and does not report that income, this can create problems for the collecting parent. Another issue can occur when a parent is self-employed and reports their earnings.

For a parent seeking child support payments, many complications might arise and lead to controversy. Hiring a Rockville attorney can help these individuals resolve their disputes.

Modifying Support Payments

Sometimes a parent might not mean to neglect payments but could be facing financial struggles. If a party loses their job and no longer has income, that person can alter their payment obligations. The important factor here is that everything should go through the official channels.

While it might be tempting to come to a private arrangement, the consequences of this course of action can lead to more trouble and legal battles down the road. Anyone seeking a modification should file with the court immediately as the court may only modify support payments back to the time the modification was filed and requested. The debtor parent will continue to owe payments until the court officially modifies the terms of support.

If a parent wants to modify payments because of job loss or a career decision to accept a lower-paying position, this can lead to conflict. A court might impute income to a parent who is voluntarily impoverished. Contacting an attorney can help the individuals resolve these issues.

Contact a Rockville Child Support Enforcement Lawyer

Contacting a Rockville child support enforcement lawyer is a good way to ensure that you are getting the payments you need to provide for your children. Support payments are the child’s rights, and courts take these matters seriously.

Waiting to address an issue can only compound the problems resulting from payment disputes. The best course of action is to contact an attorney and handle these issues head-on. Call today to get started on your case.