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Anyone who has ever tried to collect child support from a parent who is trying to avoid paying can tell you – child support enforcement can be challenging.  As a Colorado Springs child support lawyer, I have seen many clients take legal steps to enforce a support order, only to be faced with long delays and predictable tactics from the non-paying parent. 

If you are new to the child support enforcement process in Colorado, here are some key things to remember.

1) Always (and I mean always) make sure your Colorado Springs area child support is “court-ordered.”  Even if you trust your child’s other parent, entering into an informal arrangement for child support is never a good idea.  Financial needs change, your ex might meet someone else, lose a job or move away from your area, and without a formal court order there is nothing you can do to collect unpaid support.

2) If you have a court order and you are not receiving payments, don’t wait to file a Complaint for Contempt of Court.  It usually takes a few months for a hearing to be scheduled, so the sooner you file a complaint, the sooner you will get Colorado’s enforcement to pay attention to your case.

3) When a change in circumstance arises, such as higher health insurance bills, a reduction in income or an expense that is out of the ordinary, don’t hesitate to file a Petition to Modify your existing court order.  Modification petitions are retroactive to the date of filing, so even if your case isn’t heard by a Colorado judge right away, any increases in support will be accrued back to your petition date.

If the non-custodial parent still doesn’t pay support, a number of different enforcement measures can be taken in order to collect regular and past-due support.

• Wage attachments on regular income
• Wage attachments on Unemployment, Workers Compensation and Disability benefits
• Suspension of their driver’s license
• Denial of a passport application
• Federal and State income tax refund deferment
• Negative reporting to credit bureaus
• Judgments, liens and bank account garnishments
• Federal Prosecution
• Contempt of Court charges
• Incarceration

Colorado child support can and will be enforced by the state’s enforcement program eventually, but if you need to get the process moving faster it is best to work with a Colorado Springs child support lawyer.  An attorney will know exactly which petitions to file and how to present your case in front of a support master or judge, which will be much more effective than going it alone.

Patricia Marrison is a Family Law attorney in Colorado Springs, CO. and the owner of the Marrison Family Law LLC, Colorado Springs largest Family Law practice.  The Marrison Family Law LLC is devoted to assisting with the difficulties of the breakup of relationships, be it common law marriage, a non-marriage with children, or dissolution with or without children. We attempt to serve the entire spectrum of relationships, from those couples with the simplest, uncontested dissolution to the highly conflicted relationship involving allegations of domestic abuse.