How to Collect Owed Child Support in Wisconsin

 Posted on November 10, 2023 in Family Law

Your children deserve the best care that you can give them. But how will you be able to provide them with what they need when a non-custodial parent fails to pay court-ordered child support? There are a few ways to enforce court-ordered child support in Wisconsin. A lawyer with experience in child support legal matters can provide invaluable step-by-step guidance toward helping you acquire support payments owed.

Ensuring Child Support is Established

A friendly, informal agreement between parents on child support is unenforceable by state agencies and the court. Make sure to go through the court to make a formal child support agreement so that the authorities can enforce it should the non-custodial parent ever become delinquent or a “deadbeat parent.” Even if parents cannot agree on child support payments, they must go to court to receive an enforceable order. A judge is the only one who can set an enforceable amount of child support and set the schedule for payments.

Child Support Enforcement

Once a court order for child support has been established, the non-custodial parent becomes legally bound to pay it. A non-custodial parent who refuses to follow the order or becomes delinquent in their payments gives the custodial parent the right to go to court and file an enforcement action. This will ask the judge to enforce the original court order on the delinquent parent. A judge can make many decisions regarding how to handle child support enforcement, including:

• Hold delinquent parent in contempt of court, which can add a fine or jail time
• Require delinquent parent to provide a portion of the owed child support as a condition for jail release

The Child Support Program (CSP) is available to custodial and non-custodial parents. Its purpose is to provide child support services, such as:

• Establishing paternity
• Locating parents who have disappeared
• Helping employers garnish the wages of parents who owe back child support
• Collecting and processing payments for child support

Collecting Overdue Child Support Payments

The state and courts have many tools at their disposal when it comes to extracting money owed by delinquent parents. These tools aim to take what is owed, with or without consent. The tools in their arsenal include:

• Attacking credit scores by reporting arrearages to credit bureaus
• Blocking state loans or grants
• Suspending state driver’s license for child support three months overdue
• Filing property liens
• Seizing land and property for child support that is six months overdue
• Taking away pension payments, judgments, and lawsuit settlements in a lump sum to pay for the arrearages
• Seizing bank and retirement accounts for child support three months or $1000 overdue
• Passport denial

Contact a Milwaukee County, WI Family Law Attorney

It may be a difficult task with many steps, but getting what is owed regarding court-ordered child support is not impossible. Having a reliable and skilled Milwaukee, WI child custody lawyer on your side could pay dividends in taking back what is owed. The firm of Bucher, Wolff & Sonderhouse, LLP provides a free consultation and advice on what you can do regarding child support arrearages. Contact our office any day of the week, 24/7, at 262-232-6699.