When parents in Arizona part ways, it is important that the children from the relationship are supported. In most cases, there will be a parent who is ordered to pay child support. It is imperative that the paying parent keep up with the payments, make the payments on time and pay them in full. However, it is not uncommon for the payments to be late, not be paid in full or not be paid at all. For custodial parents who need to receive the payments to care for the child, there are certain steps to take to resolve this issue of delinquent payments.
Arizona officials have certain enforcement remedies that it will use to get the payments. The Division of Child Support Services is authorized to act to recover delinquent payments. It must first inform the parents that there will be an enforcement action taking place. With the notification, there will be instructions for parents who would like to have an administrative review should they want to pursue a dispute against the enforcement.
With the administrative income withholding order, the person’s earnings will be withheld to pay the child support and get it directly from the employer. A tax refund offset means the refund will be intercepted – this can be done if there are past-due payments and even if the current payments are being made. It is limited to parents who owe a past-due amount of a minimum of $50. With asset seizure, bank accounts can be taken to collect child support if it is 12 months or more in arrears. Reporting to the credit bureau can negatively impact a person’s credit score. If the supporting parent is behind by 180 days, this will appear on the credit report.
Property liens can impact a home, a car and other items. With a lien, the person will not be able to sell it. Those who have won a lottery might think they are lucky, but if they have unpaid child support the DCSS can intercept it if it goes beyond $600 in winnings. Finally, a driver license or a professional license can be suspended administratively without going to court.
When there are delinquent payments or a failure to pay child support, it is important for both parents – the supporting or non-supporting parent – to have legal assistance to deal with it. Child support enforcement takes these matters seriously and the enforcement actions can be problematic.