Collecting Child Support When Your Ex Stops Paying

 Posted on June 10, 2024 in Child Support

One reason parents get nervous about going through a divorce is finances. Even if only one spouse works and earns a salary, the household and child-raising expenses are shared and jointly managed by the couple. If you have been a stay-at-home mom depending on your husband’s income, the idea of managing financially on your own can be overwhelming.

Child support is meant to help. If one parent ends up taking on more of the child-raising responsibilities after a divorce, the other parent needs to send them regular payments to compensate for it. Often, this is a logical arrangement that suits both parents: If one parent has less flexibility to work because they have to drop the child off, pick them up, shuttle them around to their medical appointments and extracurricular activities, and generally be available, it makes it harder for them to have a demanding but lucrative job. It also means the other parent is free to stay at work late and establish themselves at their job, and in turn, they can earn more money.

If the paying spouse suddenly stops making those payments, it can be extremely distressing. The other parent might find themself scrambling to pay bills but unable to work overtime because of their childcare duties. If this has happened to you, speak with a trusted DuPage County, IL divorce lawyer who can advise you on how to get those payments reinstated.

3 Methods of Child Support Collection

Depending on your circumstances and your dynamic with your ex, you might choose one of three ways to try to get your child support payments reinstated:

• Speak to your ex. Of course, this is only relevant for divorced parents who have open communication with each other. Maybe he forgot, maybe he lost his job and could no longer afford the payments, or maybe it was on purpose. Either way, speaking directly might be an easy way to find out what happened, and you might be able to come up with a solution together.
• Speak to the DCSS. Illinois has an office called the Division of Child Support Services, which is there to help people in this exact situation. They also provide their services for free. However, this is only a relevant option for people who can not afford to wait to resolve the child support issues because DCSS has limited resources, and wait times can unfortunately be quite long.
• Speak to a qualified lawyer. If you cannot speak directly with your ex and you do not have the luxury of waiting till this is resolved, an attorney can handle the matter much quicker and smoother. With experience helping single parents in similar circumstances, a lawyer can navigate the reinstatement process with much more ease than you would on your own.

Schedule a Free Consultation with a Wheaton, IL Child Support Lawyer

If you have stopped receiving child support payments without warning, contact a dedicated DuPage County, IL divorce attorney who can help. At Fawell & Fawell, we consider your family our priority, and we are passionate about helping you move forward from this stressful situation. Call us at 630-871-2400 to schedule a free consultation.