What Can I Do If My Ex Won’t Pay Child Support?

If you have been through a child support negotiation and hearing, you likely know the sigh of relief that comes when the child support order is officially (and finally) entered by the court. You may have felt like the process was finally over, and now you could return to some sense of routine or normalcy. However, for many people, this is the beginning of another process, to get their ex to actually honor the court-ordered agreement. You may be shocked to learn that your ex will blatantly ignore the court order and refuse, time and time again, to make their child support payments. So what can you do when you feel helpless, despite being in the right legally? That’s what we will cover in this blog post.

Legal Options If Your Ex Won’t Pay Child Support

If your ex is not paying child support, start building your case against them. Documentation of their lack of payment is important. Make sure to text or email them reminding them about when they are required to make court-ordered child support payments and asking them to follow through. If they do not respond to these requests by making the payment, and it has been 45-90 days since the payment was missed (i.e. more than enough time for any checks to make it to your mailbox) then it is time to up the ante and contact an experienced Florida child support attorney. Your attorney can petition the court to hold your ex in contempt. Your ex can be called into court and charged with contempt for violating court orders (in this case, by not making the child support payments that the court ordered). You can also request that the court take the child support payments directly from your ex’s paychecks if they have a job and the ability to pay and are simply avoiding doing so. The judge may also order your ex to remain in jail until the child support payments are made. If your ex is able to demonstrate that they are unable to make the court-ordered child support payments due to a change in circumstances, such as a reduction in salary that appears to be permanent, the court may amend the amount of the court-ordered child support payment so that your ex can afford to make it. However, if you are able to provide proof of assets, you can request that these assets belonging to your ex be liquidated so that the proceeds can be used to make the child support payments that are owed. Talk to an experienced child support attorney to determine the legal options available to you and the best path to take based on the circumstances of your specific situation.

Contact Bubley & Bubley, P.A. Today to Schedule a Consultation

If you are struggling to get the child support payments that you are entitled to, contact the experienced Tampa child support attorneys at Bubley & Bubley, P.A. today to schedule a consultation.

Source:

leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0000-0099/0061/Sections/0061.30.html