How To Survive When Your Ex Partner Isn't Paying Child Support
There are different steps you can take if your former partner isn't paying child support as agreed. This includes talking to him or her and getting the court to enforce the order. However, these processes take time, and your child's life won't stand still while you are going through the processes. If you need the child support payments, here are a few tips you can use to survive until you get them.
Don't Budget For It
If the other parent has delayed with child support, then you should assume that he or she will still delay. It is risky to assume that the next payments, including the back payments, are going to arrive in time. If you do that, then you will budget with the money, and it will be devastating if you don't get it.
Therefore, try to plan with the little that you have, and if the payment does come, treat it as a nice surprise. For example, instead of waiting for the money to pay your child's piano money, you can use the little that you have. When the child support money does arrive, you can use it for other essentials.
Accept the Little There Is
If your former partner is only sending you a portion of what he or she is supposed to pay, then you should not decline it. Instead, accept the little that he or she can give while still fighting for the rest. It might be that he or she is struggling financially. Apart from that, declining payment increases the amount owed; the bigger the debt, the harder it will be to pay. Also, if you really need the money, then something is better than nothing.
Know When to Consult the Lawyer
A family lawyer can help you a lot with your child support issues. For example, he or she may advise you on your legal alternatives to prevent you from taking illegal measures or even get the court to enforce the child support directives. However, you should know when to contact an attorney and when to handle an issue on your own.
For example, you can incur huge legal bills if you run to the lawyer each and every time you disagree on child support. You may end up using more money than even what your ex-partner owes you. However, you shouldn't suffer forever either, and you should get your lawyer and the courts involved if the backlog increases too much. The trick is to know when your ex-spouse has crossed the line so that you can approach the attorney.
These tips, along with general good money sense, will help you and your child to survive those days when child support doesn't arrive as scheduled. Just don't forget that legal help from someone like Joanna Cobleigh Esq is available when things get too complicated; don't take any drastic measures such as breaking into the other parent's house.