How Can I Collect Child Support Owed to Me?

Arizonans often struggle with difficult family law issues. When a divorce is in the works, a couple might have heated arguments of property division, which could set the stage for one’s financial future. They might also have emotional battles over Parenting Time and child support. However, even when all of those issues are settled, a divorced custodial parent may face uncertainty and difficulty.

This often happens when a noncustodial parent does not pay his or her child support obligation. Far too often, Arizona mothers and fathers are left with not enough money to adequately care for their children. In other instances, it may mean the custodial parent uses all of his or her resources to care for his or her children, which is not fair. When either of these instances occurs, a child and his or her custodial parent can be left financially and emotionally harmed.

So what options are available to custodial parents who are not receiving the child support they are owed? Fortunately, the Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) can help custodial parents recover these funds. One option is to acquire an administrative income withholding order. This order, sent to the owing parent’s employer, will, in essence, allow the custodial parent to recover child support out of the noncustodial parents paycheck before he or she is even paid by his or her employer.

A second option available to DCSS and custodial parents is asset seizure. Here, the Department can take control over the owing parent’s bank account or other property in order to recover child support arrears. In addition, the Department may be able to place a lien on the noncustodial parent’s home which will not disappear until owed child support is paid.

There are many other ways DCSS can help custodial parents recover child support. However, all processes must be handled in compliance with the law. By speaking with an experienced Arizona family law attorney, custodial parents might be able to find some relief and acquire the funds they need to properly care for their children.

Source: Arizona Department of Economic Security, “Enforcement Remedies Used By Child Support Services,” accessed on Sept. 8, 2014