Newsletters

Child Support Arrearages

The federal government provides financial assistance to states to collect local and interstate child support obligations. States have enacted a wide variety of methods to collect child support from those who are obligated to pay and fail or refuse to do so.

Parental Support of Disabled Adult Children

A parent's child support obligation may not terminate when the child attains the age of majority. If an adult child cannot be self supporting due to a disability, the state may require that child support be continued.

Former Stepparent Visitation Rights

A stepparent is considered a legal stranger to a child and is not automatically entitled to visitation rights. However, where a close relationship between the child and the stepparent has been established, a court will consider granting rights of visitation and in some case, stepparents have been awarded legal custody.

Modification of Custody based on Parental Financial Resources

Both parents are required to contribute toward the support of a child. The amount of support is based on the income of the parents, with adjustments for certain other obligations such as day care or extraordinary health expenses. For the most part, courts do not consider modifying custody based solely on a parent's financial resources, but such resources may be a factor where a change in circumstances can be shown.

Criminal Penalties for Failure to Pay Child Support

The Child Support Recovery Act, as amended by the Deadbeat Parents Punishment Act, makes it a federal crime to flee a state in order to avoid paying a child support arrearage. States use criminal contempt to punish parents who fail to pay child support upon a finding of an intentional failure to comply with a court order of support.