Child Support: Three Things Every Parent Should Know
Whether you are divorcing your spouse or you are a single parent, the father or mother of your child has certain responsibilities, even if he or she chooses not to stay in the relationship with you. One of those responsibilities is making sure that all of the needs of the child will still get met and that the child is taken care of financially. This is called child support and here are three things every parent needs to know about it.
1. Not Just Fathers Pay Child Support
As of 2016, there were over 13 million custodial single parents in the United States. A custodial parent is the parent a child lives with a majority of the time. When it comes to providing for the child, the primary parent isn't the only who needs to support their child financially.
This is where child support comes in, and when the child's primary parent is the father, the mother ends up paying child support. According to the latest statistics, child support was awarded to just over 31% of custodial fathers, which means not just fathers have to pay child support.
2. There Are Consequences for Not Paying Child Support
If you are the parent who needs to pay child support, you may be tempted forego making the payments. That is not a good idea, because there can be some serious consequences for doing so. Some of those consequences include the following:
- Your wages can be garnished
- Your assets can be seized
- Your credit can be negatively affected
- Your driver's license can be suspended
- Your passport application can be denied
One of the most serious consequences for not paying child support is getting charged with contempt of court and serving time in jail. If you make enough money to pay child support and are charged with contempt of court, you may have to serve up to a six-month jail sentence, along with having to pay a fine.
3. There Are Instances You Can Stop Paying Child Support
As a parent paying child support, the good news is you won't have to pay it forever. There are certain instances when you can stop paying child support, including when the child turns 18 years old or you become the child's primary parent. It is also common to have the amount of child support modified due to unexpected circumstances, such as losing a job or getting injured.