Single parents in Texas may find themselves struggling financially and unable to make ends meet. This is especially true when the child’s other parent fails to follow through on child support obligations. Despite calls and requests, many parents find themselves frustrated in attempting to obtain payment to cover basic costs. These parents may turn to the state Office of the Attorney General to enforce a child support order against a non-paying parent.
The state can take a number of actions that aim to enforce a child support order that is being ignored. Some of the earlier steps may include seeking a garnishment of the other parent’s wages. In this way, the state will transfer the child support payments rather than relying on the parent to pay on his or her own. If these types of efforts fail, there are further steps that the state can take to obtain child support payments. For example, most people need to drive to go to work or school; if they do not pay their child support, the state can work with licensing agencies to suspend a driver’s license for a non-paying parent. Other types of licenses can also be suspended if child support is not paid, including hunting, fishing and professional licenses.
There are other tactics that the state can use as well. A non-paying parent can be denied a passport for failing to pay child support. The Office of the Attorney General can also file liens against a wide range of properties, including retirement plans, court awards, bank accounts or real estate, for the amount of support due.
Parents who are struggling to cover their child’s expenses due to a non-paying parent can seek help in receiving the support they need. A family law attorney may help custodial parents to seek enforcement of a child support order.
