In the state of Michigan, both parents have an obligation to take financial responsibility for their child. If your co-parent suddenly stops paying child support, you have the right to ask the court to enforce the support order.
Friend of the Court (FOC)
Local FOC offices handle the enforcement of all court orders related to children in the state of Michigan. These include child custody, parenting time and child support enforcement. The first step in divorce – child support non-compliance typically involves notifying the FOC.
Child support orders
If your co-parent paid child support following a divorce, you likely already had a court order in place for child support. But if you did not marry the child’s other parent and did not go through a divorce, you may not have a legal court order in place. In these situations, the co-parent commonly stops paying support that you mutually agreed upon when you ended your relationship.
To make certain that your co-parent fulfills their legal obligations, you may need to make it a matter of family court. In Michigan, court-ordered child support payments typically require the co-parent’s employer to withhold payments automatically. This makes child support non-compliance more difficult.
Enforcement options
The state of Michigan takes the act of evading child support very seriously, and local offices will take steps to help you get the child support, including the following:
- Enforcing additional bank garnishment
- Suspending any licenses held by the co-parent
- Freezing any bank accounts
- Placing liens and seizures on any properties
- Withholding of income tax returns
- Submitting referrals for criminal prosecution
Your child deserves financial support from both parents. Taking steps to report and deal with child support non-compliance helps to keep your co-parent accountable and reduces your own financial burden.