They can also take it from any federal or state tax refunds they might be due. They can put a lien against any property, garnish bank accounts, turn them over to credit bureaus, and even garnish unemployment insurance. Some states even allow the suspension of the driver's license if they owe an excessive amount and other collection attempts have been unsuccessful. The Child Support Enforcement Agency has so many procedures and forms to complete this could take quite a bit of time, which means time without support.
It is a criminal offense under Federal law to intentionally not pay court ordered child support. If it's a crime, then why is child support such a problem? One reason is that the parent who is supposed to pay doesn't make enough money himself or herself, they don't hold down a job long enough for CSEA to locate them and file their paperwork before they change jobs again. All states have criminal statutes to prosecute parents who refuse to pay their child support. The custodial parent can file a complaint to the district attorney's office to seek an indictment against the criminal court. If found guilty the parent could be jailed, or put on probation as long as they pay all back support and make all future payments on time. If the past due child support is unpaid for 2 years or more or exceeds $10,000 it is a felony. .
Some parents leave the state in which the custodial parent and the child live. When this happens the process changes to find the non-paying parent. Then the custodial parent must contact the local U.S. Department of Justice and file a complaint under federal law and then the U.S. Government proceeds to locate and prosecute the non-paying parent. First, they must prove that the parent had knowledge of their obligation and their intent not to pay support. The past due amount has to been unpaid for at least one year or exceeded $5,000 and they have the ability to pay.
