Millions of children rely on child support from their parents. While most people want to provide for their children, there are times that child support doesn’t get paid in a timely fashion. The following are the 11 top reasons people fall behind on child support.
1. They Believe support is Not Helping Their Children
According to Familylawyermagazine.com, many individuals don’t see how the money being paid is directly helping their children.
2. People Don’t Like Judges and Lawyers Making Their Decisions
Hard working adults may often resent a stranger, and in particular a judge or a lawyer, telling them how and when to take care of their children.
3. Lost Jobs
Losing a job and a steady source of income can definitely cause a person to fall behind on child support.
4. A New Family
If a person gets married or has more children it may become more difficult to keep up with regular payments.
5. Fear That the Money is Misspent
If parents think the money is going to augment the custodial parent’s lifestyle and not the child, they may be hesitant to keep up regular payments.
6. Disagreements About Raising the Children
When one parent disagrees with how the other parent is raising the children they may not make regular child payments until the matter is resolved.
7. Can’t See the Children
Whether it’s court ordered or a parent is keeping the kids from another parent, the non-custodial parent may stop making payments.
8. To Get Back at a Spouse
When couples break up, the relationship can become complicated. Unfortunately, some people may withhold payment to get back at the other parent.
9. Low Paying Job
Even if an individual is working a regular job, it may be considered low-income. The National Conference of State Legislatures describes how a low paying job can cause a person to fall behind on support.
10. Substance Abuse
Drug or alcohol addiction can drain a person’s resources or cause them to become irresponsible and fall behind on payments.
11. A Traumatic Event
Unfortunately, a traumatic event such as a car accident or a serious disease can occur in an individual’s life. In these cases it can be extremely difficult for even well-meaning parents to keep up on payment.
“In 2013, the average yearly child support payment received by custodial parents with payments was $5,333; $5,181 for mothers and $6,526 for fathers. These full or partial payments represented (on average) 14% of the custodial parent’s yearly income, 16% of the custodial mothers’ total yearly income, and 9% of the custodial fathers’. In 2013, for custodial parents with income below the poverty level, child support payments for those who received them made up, on average, 49% of their yearly income. In 2013, child support payments made up 13% of the yearly income of custodial parents without a high school diploma who were owed child support and who actually received full or partial payments. In 2013, child support represented about 18% of the income of the 2.6 million custodial parents who received all of the child support that they were owed.” Child Support: An Overview of Census Bureau Data on Recipients Carmen Solomon-Fears Specialist in Social Policy March 1, 2016 Congressional Research Service 7-5700 www.crs.gov RS22499 https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RS22499.pdf