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South Jersey & Philadelphia

Is there help to enforce child support?

On Behalf of | Mar 18, 2021 | Child Support

It can be frustrating when a Pennsylvania parent does not pay their child support. You may wonder if there is anywhere that you can turn to in order to collect what you are owed. In fact, there are a number of actions that you can take.

Contempt of court for unpaid child support in Pennsylvania

One way that a party can try to enforce a child support order is through a motion for contempt of court. The parent can ask the court to order that the non-paying parent must explain why they should not be held in contempt of court for failing to follow the court order. A motion for show cause may be used for unpaid child support as well as for custody and parenting time violations. The motion to the court should clearly state how the other parent did not comply with the court’s order.

What can happen if a parent doesn’t pay child support?

There are a number of penalties and consequences that may occur if a parent doesn’t pay support. For example, the court may suspend that parent’s driver’s license. The non-payment can go on their credit report and damage their credit score. Professional licenses may be suspended, and a passport may be confiscated as well. Even jail time is a possibility for a non-paying parent. The court’s goal in imposing a remedy is to bring the parent into compliance with the court order.

Child support enforcement

Each case is determined independently by the judge, who will act on the information that is available. If you are owed support and the other parent has ignored your repeated requests, you might want to have an attorney’s assistance when going through court proceedings.

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