Enforcing Child Support Orders
Last updated on February 13, 2024
The state of Minnesota requires both parents to support their children. In most cases, this means one parent pays child support to the other. When that parent fails in his or her obligations, the parent receiving the child support has the right to hold the other responsible for those payments.
Todd Dwire of Dwire Law Offices, in Lakeville, Minnesota, has helped many parents seek enforcement of child support orders during his more than 22 years of practice. He understands how the court and child support systems work and knows which methods to use to get the most favorable results.
Child Support Enforcement In Minnesota
Most parents set things up so that the parent paying child support pays it directly to the parent receiving it. If your co-parent doesn’t pay your agreed-upon amount, pays it late or stops paying altogether, there are different ways to get payments started again, including:
- Working with County Child Support Services in your county to seek automatic wage withholding
- Suspension of the nonpaying parent’s driver’s license and occupational licenses
- Seeking withholding from state and federal tax returns
- Putting a hold on student financial aid
- Requesting the court to hold the nonpaying parent in contempt of court
If your co-parent is found in contempt of court and refuses to comply with the court requirements, he or she may suffer serious consequences such as jail time.
If your co-parent has not been paying for a while, he or she will have to pay the back payments (known as arrears) in addition to the current payments. Child support is not dischargeable in bankruptcy and the arrears will not go away until paid. The state may add interest to the amount of the arrearage if not paid.
Our lawyer will work with you to determine which of these options is most effective for your situation and help you implement it. He will aggressively pursue getting payments started again, as well as getting the arrears paid.
Call Dwire Law Offices To Schedule Your Free Consultation
To discuss enforcement of child support payments with an experienced attorney, call us today at 952-232-0179 or fill out our online contact form. We offer free consultations from our Lakeville office and can assist clients in the Apple Valley, Burnsville, Eagan, Lakeville, Prior Lake, Savage and Shakopee areas.