Florida’s penalties for not paying child support

If you have to pay court-ordered child support, you expect these obligations soon because your relationship with your child’s other parent is ending or you receive child support payments, it is vital to go over various issues. Aside from understanding how courts calculate child support awards and addressing the modification of a child support order when necessary, you should also familiarize yourself with child support enforcement.

In Florida, the state can take a number of actions when a parent falls behind on child support, and these penalties can disrupt a non-custodial parent’s life significantly.

Reviewing child support enforcement actions

The Florida Department of Revenue covers some of the different consequences that could arise if a parent fails to pay child support. For example, if you fall behind on support obligations, you could lose your driver’s license or your recreational or professional license. You could lose your tax refund, workers’ compensation and other benefits. Credit reporting, liens and bank levies can also occur.

Furthermore, you could lose passport privileges and face the possibility of contempt of court charges, which could lead to time behind bars.

Working through child support challenges

Whether you want to enforce a child support order because your ex refuses to pay or you have a lot of anxiety about your ability to keep paying on time after losing your job, it is very important to understand your options thoroughly. Do not let negative emotions or thoughts interfere with your approach to these difficulties. From reaching out to the court to modifying your child support order, make sure you do everything to address unpaid child support appropriately.