What happens if I fail to make child support payments?
One of the major responsibilities of a non-custodial parent is to make child support payments each month. In New York State, the calculations are as follows. For one child, you must pay 17-percent of your gross monthly income. For two children, you must pay 25-percent of your income. For three children, you must pay 29-percent of your gross monthly income. For four children, you must pay 31-percent of your gross monthly income. And finally, for five or more children, you must pay at least 35-percent of your gross monthly income.
An experienced family law attorney can provide you with assistance in determining how much you are required to pay each month towards child support. It is crucial that you make these payments because if you fail to do so, you will find yourself in legal trouble and will owe back payments.
If you have failed to make your child support payments, the Support Collection Unit may begin taking the payments that you owe right out of your paycheck. If you are collecting unemployment, these payments can come out of your unemployment check. The Support Collection Unit can also notify credit bureaus of your failure to make payments which can impact your credit score and prevent you from taking out any credit. If the situation progresses and you still have failed to make your child support payments, you may find yourself spending time in jail.
As you can see, failure to pay child support is a serious situation that can have lasting impacts. It is important that you make your payments and if you can’t, file a motion to try and have those payments modified. Contact an experienced family law attorney if you have questions about your situation.
Robert Pollack is an experienced divorce and family law attorney in Long Island, New York. Contact The Pollack Law Firm, P.C., to set up a free initial consultation.
