As the custodial parent dealing with life after a divorce, you probably have a lot of expenses and may even be temporarily dependent on child support or spousal support to cover your bills and provide for your children while you get back on your feet.
If your ex decides to stop paying court-ordered support or to send less than the ordered amount, your budget for the month may not balance, leaving you in the red. What can you do when your ex doesn’t pay their ordered support? Can North Carolina help you deal with this difficult situation?
North Carolina tries to make child support collection simple
In theory, collecting child support should be automatic. The courts can submit documentation to your ex’s employer to have the amount of support deducted from their paycheck whenever they get paid. Unfortunately, some people will try to avoid this obligation by quitting their job or working for cash pay instead of in a standard employment scenario.
If you can’t get your ex to pay support as ordered, North Carolina can potentially intercept their income tax returns and even take action via the courts in order to motivate them to pay you. They can also report the child support balance to credit bureaus, which can provide another incentive for your ex to pay what they owe. If nothing else works, the state can place a lien against their property to help push them into compliance.
For parents who aren’t getting the child support they should or who need to request more child support because of changing family circumstances, getting help early on can make the process of getting support easier.