Child support is not an optional expense. Once an Arizona court orders it, it becomes the obligation of the noncustodial parent to whom it applies. Since child support is to be used for the benefit of the paying parties’ children the state of Arizona takes an active role in seeing that those payments comply with the terms of their applicable orders.
When a person stops paying child support, he may become subject to the state’s many means of enforcement. After the parent is notified by the Arizona Department of Child Support Services, he may be subjected to some of the enforcement methods discussed in the remainder of this post. Readers of this blog who have questions about child support enforcement may wish to speak to their own legal counselors as this post should not be considered legal advice.
First, the state may have the paying parent’s income withheld, so that the proceeds of the action may be used to satisfy any outstanding child support delinquencies. It may also use tax refund money to ensure that the child support payments are satisfied.
Second, the state may seize a paying parent’s assets for the purposes of fulfilling a child support obligation. Asset seizures require that child support delinquencies be at least a year old or that a judgment has been entered against the parent.
Finally, the state can report the parent’s child support delinquencies to credit agencies. The failure to pay child support can be damaging to a person’s credit, and carrying an outstanding obligation can make it difficult for a parent to receive loans for vehicles, homes and other purchases.
The preceding paragraphs discuss only a few of the ways that Arizona can enforce child support orders subject to delinquent payments. Readers of this post, who are behind on their child support payments, may choose to speak with family law attorneys about their cases before enforcement measures are pursued against them.