Managing child support issues during the holidays

The holiday season is when parents’ budgets don’t seem to ever stretch far enough to make the experience memorable for children. This can be especially problematic for parents going through a divorce in Illinois, as well as for custodial parents who do not receive consistent child support payments from the other parent. For those who receive support, seeking additional money for gifts can be like pulling teeth. For those who receive inconsistent payments, there is no guarantee that any money will come in for the holidays.

The lack of adequate support often leads to contentious battles over parenting time and continuous rounds of blame. Despite how frustrating receiving less than the full amount of support can be, there are several things parents can to manage the situation.

Don’t withhold parenting time – There may be an inclination to limit parenting time for a parent who is chronically late on payments, but this may be a mistake that can lead to dire consequences. Child support and parenting time are separate issues for a court to decide, and it may not reflect well on you to take a “pay to play” approach. Besides, a parent who consistently sees a child is more likely to stay on top of support payments.

See if the State’s Attorney is involved – Before hiring a private lawyer to pursue a child support action, it is worth finding out if the State’s Attorney has already established a case. There are criminal and administrative penalties that the state can seek (i.e. suspending driving or professional licenses, seeking jail time), and it does not call for you to pay a retainer fee.

 

Source: DailyFinance.com, “What to do if your ex won’t (or can’t) pay child support,” Geoff Williams, November 21, 2013

Read Our

Recent Blogs

What Documents Do I Need To File For Divorce?

It’s no secret that most divorces require a lot of paperwork. That’s why it’s a good idea to know exactly what kinds of documents…

Read More
Can I Change My Mind After Filing For Divorce?

Once you have filed the necessary paperwork to get divorced, you might think that you have no way of getting out of it. This…

Read More
Can I Keep Gifts I Received During The Marriage?

You know that you will have to split up shared property when you get a divorce, but what happens to gifts? If something was…

Read More

Contact Us Today!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Group of attorneys