In general terms, child support, in Boise ID, refers to a monthly payment made by the parent to the other parent to help facilitate the costs of raising and caring for the child or children in question.
The payment amount is defined by the court during child custody hearings and takes into consideration several factors, including the amount requested by the parent with custody of the child, the personal finances of the parent ordered to make the payments, and the specific needs the child or children may require.
For example, if the child has a physical disability that requires therapy or specialized transportation, those additional costs would be a factor in determining the final amount.
How It Works
For starters, one of the parents must apply for child support services with the child support agency in the district they reside. The agency will then begin the process of creating a legalized order for the support payments, which can include locating and informing the other parent of the application, verifying the parentage of the children, and setting up a process to collect and transfer the funds to the parent requesting the payments.
Every state has its own child support agency, and if the parents in question reside in separate states, the parent seeking the payments will need to clarify which state will be responsible for enforcing the payments.
Enforcement of Payments
Depending on the situation in question, it’s possible the parent charged with making child support payments could neglect or choose to outright ignore the financial responsibility of making those payments on a regular basis. While frustrating and stressful for the parent with primary custody, it should be noted that such actions do carry consequences for the violator.
It should be noted here, too, that sometimes the financial and personal situations of the parent making payments could be radically changed by outside factors, such as the loss of employment or unexpected medical costs. The courts will likely take such factors into consideration if payments abruptly become delinquent.
According to the Office of Child Support Enforcement, child support payments can be enforced by a number of actions, including:
Withholding income
The salary of the parent could be garnished to satisfy the outstanding child support payments.
Financial account liens
Bank accounts listed for child support payments could be frozen or levied, which would inhibit usage until the payments become current.
Tax refund seizure
Any funds refunded to the parent in question during tax season can be claimed to satisfy the outstanding child support payments, resulting in a smaller return for the parent in question. The same action could be taken on retirement payouts or any other form of income earned by the parent.
Withhold other one-time or recurring federal payments such as retirement, salary, payments to vendors or contractors, and other federal payments.
Credit Rating
The delinquent payments could result in an overall lower credit rating for the parent in question, as the late payments would negatively impact their personal credit.
Want to learn more about child support payments? Contact Jacobson & Jacobson PLLC today.
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