How does arrearage affect a child support order?

Arrearage, or the amount of unpaid child support payments, can have a significant impact on a child support order in California. When a parent falls behind on their payments, the court may order an increase in the payment, an increase in the time period for payment, or the creation of an order for arrearage payments. The court may also take the arrearage owed into consideration when calculating a new order for child support payments. When an arrearage accumulates on a child support order, the parent who is behind on payments may be subject to various forms of enforcement. The court may direct wage garnishment from the paying parent’s employer, and the paying parent may be subject to fines or even jail time if the arrearage is not paid. The court may also intercept the parent’s tax refunds, lottery winnings, or other assets until the arrearage is paid. Additionally, the parent who is behind on payments may be denied passports, driver’s licenses, and other forms of identification by the court as an enforcement measure. Another way that arrearage affects a child support order is that it may prevent the paying parent from having their support order modified or ended until the arrearage is paid. Additionally, the court may refuse to allow the paying parent to have visitation rights with the children until the arrearage is paid. Overall, when a parent falls behind on their child support payments in California, the court may take significant action in order to get the payments caught up, including heavy fines, wage garnishments, or jail time. For this reason, it is important for parents to take child support payments seriously, and do their best to make all payments on time.

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How does arrearage affect a child support order?

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