Child support can sometimes be a contentious issue between divorced or separated parents. Parents receiving child support may wonder how they enforce a child support order in Florida and parents paying child support may wonder what they can do if they cannot afford their child support payments.
The family law process has resources available to help parents in both situations. In Florida, the failure to pay child support according to a valid child support order is serious and can result in serious potential penalties and consequences. The most serious potential penalty a non-paying parent may face is being held in contempt of court and facing jail time. They may also face negative credit reporting or liens being placed on their property as some examples of what can be done in Florida to enforce a child support order.
In addition, non-paying parents may also: be required to pay a fine; have their bank accounts seized; have an income tax refund sized; face driver’s license suspension or a suspended vehicle registration; suspension of a business or occupational license; or the denial of a passport. Previous posts here have discussed child support and other post-divorce modifications in the past and it is important for parents who are struggling to pay child support to be familiar with those resources.
Parents seeking to enforce a child support order and parents struggling to pay child support have options available to them through the family law process in Florida. It is important to promptly reach out if a modification or other help is needed, so parents should be familiar with how to access the resources available to them.