Divorcing your spouse and going through the legal process is not a simple process. When there are children involved, the process can be more emotionally charged and complex. Deciphering with the court regarding child support and visitation schedules can be a long drawn out process. It can take time for the primary parent to receive child support depending on how contentious the situation is.

When Child Support is Ordered by the Court

There are a number of ways that you may be able to obtain child support for your child in the event that the non-custodial parent does not pay. At times it may be necessary to have law enforcement step in for assistance. Often, the Department of Child Services can step in to help ensure that you are paid the money owed. However, the agency may vary depending on the state that you live in. There are a number of steps that can be taken for collecting child support:

• Jail Time: The non-custodial parent could face time in jail if they do not pay the child support they have been court ordered to provide.
• Tax Refund: An attorney skilled in family law can help to advise you around ways to collect child support through a tax refund. You may be able to have their tax refund paid to you directly if the obligated parent is not paying child support.
• Wage Garnishment: When the non-custodial parent is employed, automatic wage garnishment can take place. This is proven to be difficult if the parent is unemployed, self employed or often changes employers.

How Will the Child Benefit from Support?

Taking care of a child is a huge financial expense. Often the custodial parent relies heavily on the child support payments to help pay for  things needed to care for the child. This could include items such as:

• Medical expenses
• Food and clothing
• Mortgage and other expenses
• Extracurricular activities and programs such as dance, daycare or summer camps, and field trips

It’s important for the divorce to have as little impact on the child as possible. When the decision is made to no longer remain in a relationship together, the child should not have to give up the essentials or activities they like to participate in. The idea is to maintain for your child all other aspects of the life they participated in prior to the divorce.

At times, the custodial parent may be challenged when the other parent is not paying child support. This could have a great impact on the parent’s ability to be able to provide for the child. Consulting with a child custody lawyer Bloomington IL recommends can help you obtain the child support payments you need.

Thanks to our friends and contributors from Pioletti & Pioletti for their insight into child custody.