Under New York State law, divorced parents on Long Island are responsible for financially supporting their children until they turn 18. Depending on several factors, such as income, etc, a court will order the non-custodial parent to pay child support to the custodial parent. However, non-custodial parents can accidentally or intentionally neglect to pay child support.
In cases like this, custodial parents may be tempted to cancel visitation due to missing child support payments yet this behavior is ill-advised because it can negatively affect the child. If your ex-spouse has been missing child support payments, you should contact a Long Island family lawyer to determine the best course of action.
In these cases there are several possible outcomes:
- Payments can be deducted from the ex-spouse’s paycheck – The SCU or support collection unit can contact the ex-spouse’s employer and notify them to withhold their child support payment from their paycheck. After which, it is sent to the custodial parent.
- Late child support sums can be scheduled for monthly payments – The SCU can work with the court to order incremental payments from your ex-spouse. In some cases, the court will order a lump sum payment where the ex-spouse must pay the missing child support at once.
- Licenses can be revoked – If the previous two measures have been taken and your ex-spouse has to yet to pay child support, the court can suspend state-issued professional licenses. Driver’s licenses, professional licenses, and or/ business/occupational licenses.
- Jail time for the non-custodial parent – If your spouse continuously refuses to pay child support, he/she can be put in jail for consecutive 6 month periods.
If your ex-spouse has been missing child support payments and you live on Long Island, click here for a free consultation with Simonetti & Associates. Simonetti & Associates has been voted Best Divorce Lawyer on Long Island for the past four years and are more than capable of advising you on the best course of action to take.
