Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Are you responsible for paying court-ordered child support? You should know the risks of failing to pay….

Child support is often a strong bone of contention between parents. Remember, if you fail to make court ordered child support on time without a valid reason, there is the prospect of having to endure severe penalties.

When you have kids you have to pay for them. Most kids are not the Olsen Twins, they cannot pay for themselves. But a child only costs about $500 a month, whatever, not $3,000.
Allen Iverson knows all about this. His ex-wife, Tawanna, told the judge in 2013 that Allen should have to pay the full amount upfront since she kept on having to drag Allen to court which would be $1.272 million. Allen continued to ignore the payment requests. This is what happens when you are rich and you do not sign a pre-nup. Your wife will own you if you have children and you become divorced. When the money stops coming in in buckets, what do you do? These child support payments are far too much. It does not cost $3,000 a month to raise one child? Not even close.

Allen Iverson knows for sure there is something wrong with the system but much of this is his fault as well.

In the opinion of Bethesda, MD divorce lawyers, here are some of the consequences you could face if you fail to pay court-ordered child support:

ü  Contempt of court is the most common penalty awarded to a non-paying parent.
ü  You may receive a civil or criminal warrant for your arrest.
ü  You may face a jail term in addition to fines – Allen Iverson was threatened with this by the judge
ü  You could also face some serious financial consequences such as wage garnishment, unemployment, and denial of worker’s compensation.
ü  You can be denied tax refunds as penalty, and government benefits.
ü  Your passport might be revoked.
ü  Cancellation of certain licenses such as driving, boating, fishing, or hunting can happen at the behest of the courts. A professional license can also face the same fate.
ü  The courts can have a lien tagged to your property to force you to pay.

Remember that state laws vary but every state remains firm when it comes to child support granted by a court. In addition, it wouldn’t be wise to think of migrating to another state to avoid paying child support. If you do so you will be charged with federal offenses, caution Montgomery County, MD divorce attorneys where you could face mandatory restitution and even imprisonment for 2 or 3 years.

USAttorneys.com is where you need to go if you need a Bethesda, MD divorce lawyer.
How to seek Help if You cannot Make a Timely Payment?

It is always prudent to pay child support regularly and on time. However, there might be circumstances when you have a genuine reason for not being able to make the payment. In such a situation, it is paramount to contact your local enforcement agency and ask them to provide you with a temporary payment plan if full payment seems impossible within the stipulated date. Iverson knows all about this.

If you are affected by a long term financial hardship then you can ask the court to revise the child support order. Your petition may be granted if the court finds that you have a genuine problem. For instance, you are more likely to get the amount reduced if you have suffered job loss, a medical emergency or if there has been a change in your child’s needs, which are some of the common issues highlighted by Bethesda, MD divorce lawyers.

Inability to make a Payment will not affect Visitation Rights

Child support and visitation rights are two separate issues. Your ex-spouse will not be able to deny visitation rights if you have been unable to pay your child support dues. This means the custodial parent has no right to restrict access to the non-custodial parent. 

If you find yourself unable to temporarily pay child support, have not received support or need help sorting out divorce disputes, make sure to consult a Maryland divorce lawyer as soon as possible to protect your rights.

You can find that legal help by pressing right here @ Divorce.USAttorneys.com. Legal help can be found right around the virtual corner. 

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