When couples make a decision to get a divorce, it is understood that one of the parents will be given custody of the kids. However, this does not stop the financial obligations the other parent has towards his or her children. The financial burden should be shared between both parents and the courts have passed several provisions to enforce this.
There are many reasons why you need to make child support payments a top priority. First, Quite apart from the fact that your children shouldn’t have to suffer for your financial dilemma and the necessity for you to provide them with the necessary support to ensure their welfare is looked after; you also need to be aware of the consequences of not paying child support.
Any child support court order that was written or modified after the 31st of December 1993 will automatically be deducted from your wages if you are employed. If you are self-employed or unemployed you are still legally required to make the necessary payments. Your failure to do so can result in various different actions being taken against you including debt collectors coming to retrieve the necessary funds, getting issued with a court order to recover the outstanding money or in some circumstances you can be put in jail until you make your past due child support payments.
You can see now why Child support is a high priority debt that needs to be paid before many other debts.
However, the process of obtaining child support is not an easy one. It can take months for the court to determine how much you can receive. This time can be very stressful to the other parent as they try to make ends meet.