If a Child Support Order was issued in your favor, you may feel a sense of relief knowing you will receive the financial assistance you need to provide for your child’s everyday needs. Yet, for many parents, a Child Support Order does not guarantee they see those payments. The Census Board reported that in a single year, more than one-quarter of parents who were supposed to receive child support payments only received partial payments or none at all. Missed payments have a real impact on a child’s lifestyle and overall well-being. The following are helpful tips regarding tracking child support payments and recovering unpaid child support in the state of Maryland.
Tracking Maryland Child Support Payments
In Maryland, your two best resources for seeking, tracking, and enforcing child support are your county’s Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA) and your Bel Air child support lawyer. After going through the process to apply for child support and receiving a Child Support Order with payments calculated according to Maryland’s income shares model, you should begin to receive payments. You can choose to receive child support payments via:
- Check
- Direct deposit
- In person at your local child support office
Custodial parents receiving child support are enrolled in the Electronic Payment Issuance Card program (EPiC) where you receive a card to be used much like a debit card for expenses related to your child’s care. This account is only funded by child support payments and is not to be used like a credit card for purchases that exceed the account’s balance. The EPiC program offers easy tracking and managing of child support payments, much like many online banking services you might already be familiar with.
Missed Payments
If you are not receiving payments as ordered, your first call should be to the child support Customer Care Center. Your Bel Air child support lawyer should be your second call. CSEA has a long list of ways to recover missed support, which includes:
- Withholding child support from wages
- Drawing missed support from state and federal tax refunds
- Garnishing accounts at various financial institutions
- Issuing a lien on personal property or real estate, or seizing assets
- Reporting a parent who is past-due on support to credit bureaus
- Bringing contempt of court actions against the non-custodial parent
Unfortunately, some parents take drastic measures to avoid making child support payments, including moving out of state. To combat this issue, the federal government has established the Parent Locator Service, which uses all the government’s resources to identify the non-paying parent’s employer. From there, the custodial parent can enforce a Child Support Order to recover payments from tax refunds.
Bel Air Child Support Lawyers at Huesman, Jones & Miles, LLC Help Clients Recover Child Support Payments
If you are just beginning the child support process or have questions about an existing Child Support Order, contact the Bel Air child support lawyers at Huesman, Jones & Miles, LLC. Call us at 443-589-0150 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation today. Located in Hunt Valley and Towson, Maryland, we serve clients throughout Baltimore, Baltimore County, Bel Air, Bentley Springs, Columbia, Freeland, Hereford, Hampton, Westminster, Essex, Monkton, Sparks Glencoe, Parkton, Phoenix, Pikesville, White Hall, Carroll County, Harford County, and Howard County.
