Child Support Obligation Difficult for Some Utah Parents

As many Utah couples with children choose to seek divorce, issues with child support may abound. Failure to meet a child support obligation may result in further court proceedings, which can cause increased financial hardship and feelings of resentment between ex-spouses. If failure to pay is based on income changes, it may be possible to request a modification of a child support order.

Numerous parents may choose not to pay child support because of a lack of time with their kids or because they themselves have experienced a financial hardship. Both are good reasons to try to adjust not only the amount of child support ordered, but visitation time as well. While modifications can be difficult to achieve, they aren’t impossible.

Unfortunately, far too many noncustodial parents across the country just stop paying child support, without trying to request modifications. In fact, in 2011, only 43 percent of custodial parents reported receiving full child support payments. In defense of custodial parents, enforcement policies are in place to collect that can do a lot of harm to the obligor’s credit standing and could even result in jail time and damage to professional standing as well.

Meeting a child support obligation may not be easy for some Utah parents. If needed, there are proper avenues to pursue in order to make child support payments easier to handle. Negotiating with an ex-spouse during times of temporary hardship may prove beneficial, or submitting a request for modification — especially if there is a permanent change to finances — may result in a new child support order. Either of these options would likely be far better than the alternatives associated with simply not making payments.

Source: The Washington Post, “Things can get ugly when family and money mix, especially over child support“, Michelle Singletary, July 12, 2014