Mother uses outside collections agency to get child support

Mother uses outside collections agency to get child support

Many parents in the Chicago area depend on child support in order to cover the many expenses that come with caring for their child. However, one mother from St. Charles, Illinois, has turned to a private collections agency in order to collect delinquent child support payments from the father of her child.

The woman and her husband divorced when their child was just over a year old. However, the woman did not begin receiving child support payments until her child was age 33, after she contacted Support Collectors, Inc., a private collections company. The company assists parents in collecting unpaid child support and then keeps 30 percent of the total amount of child support paid. The company is often the last resort for spouses who have had no luck collecting child support through the court system. Since there is no statute of limitations for the collection of child support, many of the delinquent payments are from years or decades ago.

Child support payments are determined by the courts in a divorce proceeding. In deciding an appropriate level of child support payments, courts use a number of factors, such as the education and income levels of the parents. The courts will also consider the expenses that come with raising the child, such as schooling and medical expenses. The goal is to keep the spouses on an equal financial footing and ensure that both have the resources to provide for the needs of the children.

In cases of delinquent payments, spouses have the option of turning to the court system to obtain child support. Often, the spouse will not have the financial resources to pay, but in other cases, the courts will order the garnishment of his or her wages in order to pay for child support. Failing to pay child support can also result in the incarceration of the delinquent parent.

Spouses in a divorce matter have the legal option of preparing a payment plan for the payment of child support. While any communication between the spouses in a contentious divorce may be difficult, preparing a payment plan can save both the parties a great deal of emotional turmoil. The parties may also prepare a modification in the child support payment plan if doing so should be necessary. Both parties in a divorce have the legal right to make arrangements for the convenient payment of child support.

Source: Chicago Tribune, “Parents use outside agency to collect child-support,” Lisa Black, Oct. 24, 2013.