Enforcing A Child Support Order in Colorado

When a parent falls on hard economic times, they may find it challenging to uphold their child support obligations each month; however, what they may not realize is that failing to make regular payments could result in very serious consequences. While their failure to pay can, first and foremost, make it difficult for the other parent to provide for their child, they too could be at risk for problems of their own.

When the court orders one parent to pay child support, they are legally bound to do so. If they stop making regular payments, they could be held in contempt of court, have their wages garnished, face negative marks on their credit report, or even risk losing their driver’s license. When it comes to enforcing a child support order in Colorado, the courts have a wide range of resources at their disposal.

The Courts Can Hold a Delinquent Parent in Contempt

If the other parent of your child falls behind on their court-ordered child support payments, you can request that the court issue a charge of contempt. A hearing will be scheduled, where your ex will have the chance to resolve the issue of non-payment. If at this point, they still refuse to pay, the court can hold them in jail and/or issue a fine. The exact punishment they face will be decided by the court.

Other Remedies the Courts Can Use to Force Payment

Aside from holding the delinquent parent in contempt, the court can also take a number of other actions to enforce the payment of child support. They may:

• Report the delinquency to credit reporting agencies
• Place liens on the parent’s property or bank accounts
• Garnish, or seize the non-paying parent’s earnings
• Intercept tax refunds or unemployment benefits
• Force the delinquent parent to sell their property

Let Us Help You

If you need help enforcing your child support order, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the Colorado family law attorneys at Modern Family Law. We offer free, no-obligation consultations to get you started, so you would have nothing to lose by giving us a call today.