Paying child support for your child’s needs is one of the responsibilities that the court gives to some parents. It is crucial that you ensure these payments are made on time because your child can suffer if you don’t make the payments on time. Additionally, there is a chance that you will face legal action if you don’t pay child support as ordered by the court. There are several different ways that you can ensure you are able to pay the payments properly.
One of the first things you should do is to make a budget that makes supporting your child a priority. From there, you can add in your other bills. This gives you an accurate account of how much money you will have after the child support, as well as other bills, are taken out of your pay. One bonus to doing a budget is that you will be prepared for the payroll deduction if the child support is taken directly out of your paycheck.
No matter how you make your child support payments, make sure that you keep track of the payments. If the payments are taken out of your paycheck, keep your paystubs. If you make the payments to your ex, use traceable forms of payments like checks or money orders. This gives you a way to prove that the payments were made if there is ever a doubt raised about whether you are paying properly or not.
Don’t forget that if you switch jobs or lose your job that you are still responsible for making child support payments. If you are unable to do so, you might be able to seek a child support modification. If this situation occurs, an attorney can help you determine your legal options.
Source: Our Family Wizard, “Managing Child Support Payments,” accessed May 06, 2016