If you get sole custody of your children in Arizona, your judge might order your former spouse to pay child support. Your former spouse has to pay child support even if he or she loses his or her job or moves to another state. If your ex does not pay, the money gradually accumulates as back child support, and you have the right to call in their debts.
How do you request back child support?
According to family law, your former spouse has to pay child support every month with no exceptions. If he or she is having trouble making the payments, he or she can request a child support modification, but he or she can’t just stop paying. You can talk to the local child support office if you haven’t received a check in the last few months. The state keeps tabs on people who pay child support, so it might already be working on the issue.
If your former spouse owes over $2,500 in back child support payments, the state might take extra steps to get the money that you’re owed. The Arizona system might garnish your former spouse’s wages, seize some of his or her assets, or take money out of his or her tax refund. The state also has ways to track down your former spouse if he or she tries to flee to another state.
You could also hire a divorce attorney to pursue legal action against your former spouse. You might have to take the matter to court to collect the child support debt.
Does your spouse keep dodging child support payments?
If your former spouse refuses to pay child support, there’s not much that you can do on your own. Fortunately, the law is on your side. Unless a judge orders otherwise, your former spouse must pay child support every month until your child or children reach adulthood. He or she might also have to pay child support when your kids go to college to help them pay for tuition.
An attorney could help you bring your former spouse to trial and show the judge that he or she is neglecting parental duties. Your attorney could also assist you in drastic situations, like your former spouse fleeing the state to avoid payments.