What happens if I don’t make my child support payments?

Regardless of your financial situation, there are some payments you cannot afford to miss. Child support is one such expense. In California, you could face a variety of penalties if you should fail to make your child support payments in accordance with the conditions established by the court.

But let’s say you do fall behind on your payments; what happens next? Well, it is quite possible that you will receive a court order, which will include a date at which you must begin making payments. Moreover, every child support court order contains a wage assignment. A wage assignment is an order to garnish your pay that is submitted to your employer.

However, it’s possible to have a stay placed on the wage garnishment. In order for this to happen, the local child support agency must not be involved in your case. Also, you will need to get your child’s other parent to agree to a more feasible payment arrangement.

Most importantly, you do not want to let the situation get out of hand by not making payments. So, as soon as you realize that you’re going to have trouble meeting your obligations, it is a good idea to inform your child’s other parent. Hopefully, she or he will understand your situation and work with you to find an amenable solution.

You may also want to get in touch with and experienced California family law attorney. The attorney may be able to help you get the court to modify the conditions of your support agreement in a manner that is more realistic for your present financial situation. The attorney could also represent your interests if you are facing legal problems due to owing back payments.