The court orders child support when parents are divorced to ensure that the child’s needs, such as food, clothing, housing, and medical care, are met. If a parent in Arizona is ordered to pay child support and does not, it may be necessary to request enforcement of the child support order.
Effect on the child
If the child does not receive child support, not only are their basic needs not met, but it can also limit their social opportunities and education because they cannot participate in activities or purchase items they need to learn, like school supplies.
It can also cause the child to feel shame and embarrassment because they do not have the resources that other children do.
The child may also not have sufficient healthcare. If the parent is ordered to provide health insurance and does not, the child may not be able to receive necessary medical care or regular checkups which are vital to their well-being.
Enforcement process
There are several options available to enforce the child support order. The court may require the paying parent’s employer to withhold child support payment from their paycheck.
In Arizona, the payments are loaded on to the Way2Go Electronic Payment, which is a debit card. The money can be withdrawn from any ATM worldwide.
This can ensure that the paying parent cannot interfere with the child support payment, because it is already removed before they receive their pay.
The court can also order that the paying parent’s tax returns are intercepted, meaning that before they receive a refund, the back child support is removed and sent to the receiving parent.
If this does not resolve the issue, the court may issue a contempt order which means that the non-paying parent may face fines, penalties like suspension of their driver’s license or professional licenses, and in some serious cases, jail time.