In addition to criminal penalties, not paying child support can lead to civil penalties with the goal of recovering the debt owed. If you owe late child support payments, you may be feeling uncertain about what will happen next. In Maryland, there are a variety of potential consequences for not paying child support, and it is important to take steps to catch up. Unemployment Insurance is one way that the Child Support Administration can collect past due and current child support.
If you are 60 days or more late in paying your child support obligation, the Child Support Control Administration will notify the Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA), which will then suspend your driver's license. You can contact the main office of the Child Support Management Administration by calling (800) 332-6347 or by calling your local office in your area. The agency will assign a child support worker and, if necessary, an attorney to appear in court to enforce the order. If your driver's license has already been suspended, you can file a motion to reinstate your driver's license with the court that issued the child support order. The employer will deduct child support like any other deduction from the paying parent's paycheck and will send the money directly to the custodial parent.
If an employee matches the child support database, a wage withholding order is automatically submitted to the employer. We work closely with non-custodial parties to identify and overcome any challenges they face in making regular and timely child support payments. The Child Support Administration is also authorized to obtain and demand medical support from either parent. Federal and state laws authorize the Child Support Administration (CSA) to intercept federal income tax refunds. This means that the state of Maryland will be entitled to collect the alimony due to it as reimbursement for any cash assistance you receive from the state. The debtor can challenge the amount of arrears by submitting a signed request for investigation to the local child support agency.
A good place to start looking for information is the frequently asked questions pages found on the child support resources page of the Maryland Department of Human Resources website.
