Houston Family Law Attorney Helps Clients Take Action to Collect Past-Due Child Support — No Matter How Much Time Has Passed
Holding deadbeat parents responsible for the money they owe
Robert Reid McInvale, Attorney at Law handles only family law cases. We understand that child support payments are vital for parents trying to make ends meet. The state of Texas expects both parents to contribute financially to a child’s upbringing. This means that when parents do not live together, the non-custodial parent is often made to pay child support. Unfortunately, obligations under court support orders are not always met and some deadbeat dads and moms do not fulfil their responsibilities to their children. In some cases, parents will go months or years without paying the child support that they owe. In these cases, the law provides the custodial parent with rights. Texas allows parents to recover past-due child support no matter how much time has passed. Our law firm works with Houston parents to help them enforce a child support order and collect child support arrears.
Tactics for recovering past-due support payments
If you are owed a large sum of money for past-due child support payments, we can use a variety of enforcement measures to help you recover the funds you are owed. Some of the most common ways to recover payment include:
- Tax offsets. Both state and federal tax refunds of non-custodial parents can be held and distributed to the custodial parent. Your attorney will help you file the necessary paperwork to accomplish this.
- Liens. Texas law allows a claimant to enforce child support by putting a lien on personal property or real estate. When you have a lien on property, you have an interest in that property that may be enforced if it is sold. In some cases, property may be seized and sold to satisfy the debt.
- Freezing bank accounts. Child support lien notices can also be given to banks where the parent has an account. Your lawyer can help you get a parent’s bank account frozen for up to the amount that they owe you.
- Orders to withhold and deliver property. An Income Withholding Support Order (IWO) forces an employer to take money out of a parent’s paycheck to pay both past-due and current child support.
- Passport denial. Parents who owe $2,500 or more are not eligible to receive a U.S. passport.
If none of these tactics work, we may be able to have the parent jailed. If a lawsuit is necessary, we will vigorously litigate your claim in court. We do everything possible to help parents get the money they are owed so that they can provide for their children.
The effects of lapsed payment on the custodial parent
When the custodial parent (payee) stops receiving child support payments that they are owed, the results can be dramatic. The parent may have trouble supplying their child with basic shelter, food and clothing. Making ends meet without these payments is difficult and could result in a parent needing to take a second or third job. In these cases, there may be additional childcare costs due to the increased time a parent is away from home. To help parents who have struggled due to non-payment, the parent who owes the child support may also be forced to pay six percent interest on arrearages (owed payments) from the time that they became delinquent in their payments. Our firm works to collect all past-due payments as well as any interest that you are owed.
Contact us for help getting the child support that you are owed
Regardless of how much time has passed, you are entitled to any child support that a Texas judge ordered. The law firm of Robert Reid McInvale helps clients hold deadbeat parents accountable for their debts. We use all methods available under the law to get you paid. For help enforcing a support order, help is only a phone call away. Call the firm today at 866-959-7824 or complete our online contact form.