Dealing with Child Support when Unemployed
Losing a job is a tough time for anyone. You get stressed since you don’t have any source of income, and you’re worried about keeping your commitments and responsibilities. Especially if you’re paying for child support, you’d be worried about making the payments for child support, and the legal implications that not making the payment has. But so long as you’re truly unemployed and are not just shrinking from your responsibilities to your child, there are ways for you to handle child support even when unemployed.
Child support requirements
First, you need to review your child support requirements. You need to account for up to how long you can pay for child support while still out of a job. The important thing here is not to miss any of your payments for child support, and to make arrangements with the other parent and the authorities before you get behind on your payments.
Discussing your situation with the other parent
If the other parent is the one who has custody over the child and manages the finances, you should inform the other parent of the change in your current financial situation. This would help lessen tension between the two of you, and this can also allow for smoother proceedings should the child support order need to be changed.
Informing the authorities
Your next step is to make your situation formal and documented. This is so that you won’t have trouble when you fail to make your payments at the current amount before you lost your job. Authorities that you can approach are the concerned departments that issued the order, such as the state child support enforcement agency, or the family courts. You can request for a revision or reappraisal of the child support order to consider the change in your financial status. This is to show that you are willing to pay child support, but don’t have the financial capacity to continue as before.
Looking into possible sources of income (unemployment benefits, tax refunds, part-time jobs, etc.)
Aside from your salary, there are also other options for you in paying child support. Some of these are the unemployment benefits from either your company or the government, tax refunds, and other assets you currently hold. This may entail selling some of your assets to make the payment.
Regarding unemployment benefits, if these are not equal to your salary before you lost your job, you can still apply for a reconsideration of the child support order. This is to lessen the financial strain of the child support payments on you.
There are several child support options available for you, even if you’re unemployed. What is essential is that you communicate with the other parent and the authorities for some special consideration. Another important thing to remember is to act promptly. Don’t wait before you get behind in payments before doing any of these. You need to ensure your child, the other parent, and the authorities that you will keep to your obligations.
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