Children have a right to receive financial support from their parents for necessities like housing, food, clothing and medical care. There is guidance available about the child support process and penalties for failure to pay the required support.
Child support process
In order to pursue child support payments in Georgia, either parent can open a child support case with the state, which includes providing information about the other parent’s residence or workplace and establishing paternity. If the parent does not know where the other parent lives or works, it can take several months to complete this part of the process.
The child support amount is based on the income of both parents and the number of children who require support. The court will tell the parties who is responsible for paying, how much is owed and when it must be paid.
Also, the court may require the parent to provide health insurance for the child, if it can be obtained at a reasonable cost.
Enforcement actions for non-payment
It is a serious matter when a parent does not pay the required court-ordered child support and the court can assess an enforcement penalty against him or her. This applies if the parent fails to pay all of the required support or fails to pay a portion of it.
These enforcement actions include income withholding, intercepting tax refunds, filing liens on the parent’s bank accounts, suspending or revoking his or her driver’s license and reporting non-payment to credit agencies.
If a parent needs assistance with child support or enforcement for non-payment, an experienced attorney can help.
