Last updated on April 4, 2022
Going through a divorce can be devastating for you and your family. Your children may have difficulty understanding, and you and your spouse may disagree on sharing custody and support between two households.
You love and want to support your children, but paying child support may significantly impact your financial life, or you may disagree with how much you are supposed to pay.
Here’s what you should know about the potential consequences if you do not pay child support.
Not paying comes with consequences
Paying child support can be frustrating. You may not have gotten the custody arrangement you wanted, and paying child support can feel like another strike against you.
Unfortunately, when you do not pay child support, it can have significant consequences, including:
- Withholding from your paychecks
- Reporting to credit bureaus
- Suspension of some types of licenses
- Contempt actions that could result in jail time
These actions can have a devastating effect on your life and your career. In some cases, if you reach out for assistance with getting caught up on child support payments, there can be ways to avoid some of these consequences.
Programs for support
In Georgia, two programs help parents struggling to pay their child support: the Fatherhood program and the Parental Accountability Court Program. These programs can help parents who are behind or will be behind on child support payments.
While these programs still require you to make payments, they can help you avoid consequences like jail time, as long as you are fulfilling the program’s conditions.
You may need to talk to a skilled professional about your child support agreement and how you can move forward.
