New Jersey non-custodial parents who fail to make a child support payment will always have the obligation to make it. This will remain true even when the child for which the payment was intended becomes an adult. If a parent is late in making a payment, he or she is in arrears. Even after a child reaches the age of 18 years old, the legal orders for the payments that were due are still enforceable.
The age at which child support payments will be cut off will vary by state. Some states set the age at 18, some at 19 and others at 21. Child support obligations may also be dismissed if the child has been emancipated. However, any payments in arrears will be always be due, no matter the age of the child.
There are various ways state and federal authorities attempt to collect on delinquent child support payments. They include levying paychecks, placing liens on personal property, sentencing delinquent parents to incarceration, revoking or hold passport or driver’s licenses and seizing tax refunds. These measures can be applied after the child becomes an adult.
One hindrance to the collection of delinquent child support payments after a child turns 18 years old is the statutes of limitations some states have that give receiving parents a finite amount time to try to collect when their child reaches the age of majority. These parents may have to return to court to have the child support order renewed.
Parents who are being harmed by delinquent child supportpayments may want a family law attorney to provide assistance with collecting the payments. The attorney may file motions with the court to request that enforcement procedures be initiated against the other party.
