Collecting child support every month can be a hassle. Many choose to go through the Office of Recovery Services or other child support agencies to avoid such conflicts. They simply pay the money to the agency and it goes directly into the other parent’s account. But what happens when one parent decides to stop paying? If they are still currently employed and you are going through the ORS they can garnish the money out of their paychecks, they can also take money out of their tax return if they aren’t current in their obligations.
Things tend to get a little trickier when they are unemployed. How can the agency garnish money if there is no paycheck to garnish out of? Is your ex off the hook simply because he doesn’t have a job? Does it really seem fair that the responsibility should lie solely with you to support your children because he has chosen not to keep a job? No. He is still obligated to pay his portion of the child support. In cases like this the judge imputes his income. They look at his work history and all of his credentials and basically say, “You are capable of making this, so here is the amount you have to pay.”
Unfortunately, even with all of these provisions they sometimes get away without having to pay for everything they should. At times it doesn’t seem fair. After all they are his children too. He should have to take some responsibility for them. In the end, you wouldn’t trade the time you have with your kids to be in his shoes. You embrace the responsibilities of having children because you love them and want to be able to support them. You make sacrifices. Children are expensive and child support rarely covers all of their expenses. It isn’t easy, but being a parent never is. Sacrifice is just part of the game.