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Child support payments and job loss

On Behalf of | Jun 7, 2018 | Child Custody And Support |

A Texas parent who pays child support and who becomes unemployed might wonder what to do about the child support payments. A parent who receives unemployment benefits should inform the unemployment office so the benefits can be taken out of the check.

Parents who are not eligible for unemployment may need to work with the family court system and the other parent and keep them informed about the progress of the job search. It might be necessary to go to court and ask for a modification, or the parent may need to pay extra after getting a new job to make up the unpaid child support. The parent might need to pay the child support using a check until the child support payment can be set up at the new job.

Another potential issue is health insurance. Often, the parent who pays child support is the one who is supposed to be responsible for providing medical insurance as well, but if that parent is unemployed, this insurance might end. COBRA payments can be expensive. In such a case, the parent might check with the custodial parent and see if it is possible for that parent to add the child to the policy . It may also be possible to add the child to a federally-funded insurance plan for children.

If one parent is not keeping up child support payments, if the parents have a legal agreement, the local office of child support enforcement may be able to help collect the support. A parent who cannot pay support should seek a modification sooner rather than later since a modification is generally not retroactive. The custodial parent is not permitted to deny the other parent access to the child because of not paying child support, but that parent’s wages might be garnished or other measures could be taken.

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