Going After Deadbeats

In 1992, the Federal Government passed the Child Support Recovery Act. This law focuses on people who willfully fail to pay past due support obligations for a child living in another state. The judge can set a fine and/or imprison offenders for up to six months. (Repeat offenders can be imprisoned for up to two years.) To qualify the following must be established:

1. Your ex-spouse and the child do not live in the same state. (If they do, this law doesn't apply.)
2. A judge determines the amount of child support due. There must be a court order specifying the amount due.
3. If the amount due is $5,000 or less, it must be due greater than one year.
4. If the amount due is more than $5,000, there is no minimum time period.
5. The person's failure to pay must be willful. If he or she can show that it is difficult or impossible to pay, the law might not apply.

This law is gaining popularity. The national trend towards cracking down on deadbeat parents grows.