If you owe child support, receive these payments or expect to find yourself in this position soon because your relationship with your child’s other parent has ended, it is pivotal to go over a number of issues. Aside from reviewing factors courts use to calculate support, you should also take a look at child support enforcement and the penalties associated with falling behind. Furthermore, it is helpful to review data on child support payments.
Whether you owe support or your child’s other parent is not fulfilling their obligations, you should remember that you are not alone.
Data on child support in the U.S.
The Census Bureau reports that during 2017, 27.5% of parents who had kids under 21 received child support, and 56.8% of these parents had a child support agreement in place. The median amount of child support received over the course of 2017 was $3,328, but many parents did not receive the full amount of child support owed (and some did not receive any at all). In 2017, 31.3% of parents who received child support received irregular payments.
Addressing child support challenges
Clearly, many parents do not receive the full amount of child support owed, which can lead to hardships for custodial and non-custodial parties. If you face financial hurdles because your ex is not paying support, you should take a closer look at enforcing your child support order. Additionally, if you have fallen behind on child support payments due to financial hardships, you should strive to get caught up and review strategies to address this problem (such as establishing a payment plan or possibly modifying your child support order).
