Child support enforcement is an important topic for many parents, including parents who are paying child support and those who are receiving child support. For that reason, parents should understand how child support orders are enforced through the family law process in Michigan.
Multiple means of enforcement
The state has several methods for enforcing child support, including:
- Income withholding: Income withholding can be used to collect past due and current child support.
- Tax refund offset: If the amount of past due child support reaches a certain threshold, both state and federal tax refunds can be intercepted to pay the amount that is owed.
- Lien or levy: A lien or levy can be issued against real or personal property belonging to the non-paying parent and their financial assets or insurance claims as well.
- License suspension: Driver’s license, recreational or sporting licenses or professional licenses can all be denied, suspended or revoked if the parent is more than two months behind on their child support obligations.
- Passport denial: A passport may be denied if the past due amount of child support reaches $2,500 or greater.
- Credit reporting: If a parent is more than two months behind in child support payments, their delinquent status will automatically be reported to consumer credit reporting agencies.
In addition, child support enforcement options can include bench warrants and criminal charges and pension accounts may also be impacted. There are many ways of enforcing child support orders and, as this blog has previously discussed, there may also be options for modifying child support orders through the family law process which are child support considerations parents should be aware of and familiar with.