It’s not uncommon for a Tennessee mother or father to get behind on child support. It’s rare, however, that a parent fails to pay child support on purpose. Usually, late child support payments happen because of some kind of financial difficulty.
Regardless how it happens, the Treasury Offset Program (TOP) could take action to seek back child support payments. The TOP is an avenue for parents owed child support to enforce their child support orders and recover their back payments.
In some cases, a parent may never have paid child support since his or her child was born. Or, a parent might be accused of abandoning his or her child. The TOP could use the date of the child’s birth or the date of abandonment and seek retroactive child support payments all the way back to that date. This could translate into a great deal of money owed.
The TOP could garnish the late paying parent’s wages, or it might confiscate federal tax return money. Additionally, a parent’s drivers’ license could be suspended, passport confiscated, property seized or the parent could be ordered to pick up trash or even spend time in jail.
Still, in certain circumstances, after the passage of a new law in 2015, Tennessee parents might be able to get their back child support payments waived. As such, it’s vital to talk to a family law attorney, regardless which side of a child support matter you happen to be on. A Tennessee family law attorney can help you evaluate your situation to ensure that your rights are fully protected under the law.
Source: The Law Office of Steven C. Girsky, “Clarksville Alimony Attorney,” accessed Feb. 24, 2017
