Non-custodial parent not paying childcare... what should we do?

Seeking Advice
1

I’m posting for my mom because she’s not tech-savvy and we don’t have friends to ask for guidance. The agreement states a 56% - 44% split for expenses related to the children. My mom has my little sister in a YMCA childcare program, and the father is supposed to pay $40 a week. He hasn’t paid anything this week, and my mom is really stressed.

The worst part is we have no communication from the father, so we don’t know why he stopped paying or how long this will last. My mom thinks he might be withholding payments because he has to pay back taxes and can’t claim the kids as dependents anymore.

I know this is the only expense he isn’t covering right now, but we have no idea what else he might stop paying for. I feel like the best solution is to hire a lawyer, but my mom is worried about the cost. She believes there might be a way to resolve this without legal help.

From what I gather, it sounds like any child support payments could be deducted directly from his paycheck to prevent this in the future. Our main goal is to avoid situations like this again, as it’s really stressful for my mom.

2

If he’s not paying, your mom should consider filing for a modification of the child support order to include daycare costs. It can be done through wage assignment.

3

Imogen said:
If he’s not paying, your mom should consider filing for a modification of the child support order to include daycare costs. It can be done through wage assignment.

That sounds like a good idea, but what if he doesn’t respond to that either?

4

It’s important to document every missed payment. If this continues, she might have grounds for a contempt motion later.

5

Hunter said:
It’s important to document every missed payment. If this continues, she might have grounds for a contempt motion later.

Got it. So keeping records is key here.

6

I understand your mom’s concern about hiring a lawyer, but sometimes it can speed things up. The state child support agency can help, but it might take longer.

7

Etta said:
I understand your mom’s concern about hiring a lawyer, but sometimes it can speed things up. The state child support agency can help, but it might take longer.

That makes sense. It sounds like there are options either way.

8

If your mom can’t afford a lawyer, she should reach out to the state child support agency. They may have resources to help her navigate this.

9

Darlene said:
If your mom can’t afford a lawyer, she should reach out to the state child support agency. They may have resources to help her navigate this.

I’ll let her know. It’s good to have options.

10

It sounds like the best move is to document everything and see if the child support agency can step in. A lawyer might be necessary later if things don’t improve.

11

Cody said:
It sounds like the best move is to document everything and see if the child support agency can step in. A lawyer might be necessary later if things don’t improve.

Thanks for the advice. I think we’ll start with documenting and see where that leads us.