Steps to Collect Child Support
Before being able to receive child support, there are several steps involved before you can begin to collect. The first step in the process is identifying who the father of the child is — also known as establishing paternity. Once paternity has been established, a child support order then needs to be filed and established. The final step in the process is enforcing the child support order.
Let’s review each step in more detail.
1 – Establish Paternity
In the event you were not married to the father when your child was born, the very first step is to determine paternity. This simply means to legally determine who the father of the child is.
When it is not certain who the father of the child is, a child support agency can arrange for a genetic test. This is a highly accurate exam that will help determine the actual father of the child. In the event of a contested paternity case (when there is disagreement about who the father is), either parent can request the test be taken.
2 – File & Establish a Child Support Order
The State of Texas has its own official child support guidelines. These guidelines help determine how much child support will need to be paid, based on the child’s needs and paying parent’s income.
For more information on how payments are calculated, see our article, How is Child Support Calculated in Texas?
Most importantly, in order establish a child support order, the order will first need to be filed.
3 – Enforce the Child Support Order
Once the child support order has been filed and established, the order will then need to be enforced by the court in order to begin receiving payments. In many cases, this is fulfilled by means of direct withholding of payment from the obligated parent’s paycheck. In fact, many child support orders simply require that an employer withhold the money for child support payments and have it sent directly to the state’s child support office. Reason being, this is one most successful ways to collect payment.
How are child support orders enforced?
In some cases, you may have a parent who is obligated to pay support who is not compliant with the order. In these cases, there are a few different ways that child support is enforced and thereby collected.
These methods include:
- Withholding of income
- Withholding of tax refunds
- Reporting of child support debts to credit bureaus (which negatively affects credit score)
- Denial of passports
- Suspension of drivers license or occupational licenses
How To Get Started with Child Support
At our family law firm, we have helped many people in San Antonio and the surrounding areas dealing with support issues just like yours. We offer representation for people who are wanting to receive child support as well as those who are expected to pay.
If you are in either of these situations, we encourage you to contact us and see how we can help.