How can child support orders be enforced in Texas?

 Posted on May 22, 2020 in Family Law

What can you do if your child’s other parent is lagging behind in their support payments?

Across the United States, there are billions of dollars in child support that go uncollected every year — and Texas is not immune to the issue. While a child support order is a legal obligation, many paying parents fail to uphold that obligation either because they hit a rough financial patch or simply don’t want to pay.

If your ex’s child support payments have stopped coming, here’s what you can do:

1. Talk to the other party. If they’re temporarily out of work, you can at least understand why they aren’t paying. While you can’t absolve them of their legal obligation (or the interest they may accrue), you can work with them to try to get the payments back on track.
2. Go back to court. If your ex just isn’t paying, you can go back to court and ask the judge to enforce the existing support order. The judge will question your ex about the reason behind their failure to comply with the court’s order and will likely give them an option to pay up or suffer the consequences.
3. Push for harsher enforcement actions. If your ex still doesn’t come through, you can ask the court to exercise its enforcement options. That can include things like the suspension of their driver’s license or professional license, the denial of their passport, liens against their business or bank account, damage to their credit and seizure of their tax returns. Contempt of court is another possibility they may face — and that includes jail time.

Some parents simply won’t comply with a support order unless they are forced. Find out how an attorney can help you navigate the steps you need to take to get the support your child is owed.