When the parents of a child in New Jersey separate, it is very common that the person without custody will be obligated to pay child support. Child support can have direct benefits for children, including in terms of ensuring that kids have plenty of food, clothing and shelter. However, studies indicate that there are other benefits to children who have parents that pay child support.
One study published in 1999 indicates that children may benefit from better educational outcomes when parents pay child support. It also seems that parents who don’t pay support are less likely to take an active role in their children’s lives. A recent study, published in the Journal of Marriage and Family, indicates that, on average, fathers who didn’t pay support saw their children three days or fewer a month. These individuals were also more likely to have children with more than one partner.
Researchers looked at data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study. The study involved nearly 5,000 urban families with children born between 1998 and 2000, and data also came from more than 1,000 fathers who did not live with their children.
If someone is owed child support but isn’t receiving it, there are a number of legal options available to them to help them seek the money they are owed. When a person isn’t meeting their obligations, a judge may order that the individual’s wages be garnished, that liens be put on their property or that they be jailed if payments are not made. A lawyer could let someone know what options are available if the parent of their children isn’t making the required child support payments.
