For people in Texas who are receiving child support, it is important that the payments are on time and paid in full. Frequent family legal issues that arise center around what to do if the payments are not being made or if there are back payments owed. In some instances, the parent who has been ordered to make the payments receives some form of Social Security. An available avenue for a parent who has failed to receive the payments is to take steps to garnish a portion of the supporting parent’s Social Security benefits.
It is important to know the facts as to which benefits can be garnished. Forms of Social Security such as disability and retirement can be requested to collect what is owed in back child support. If these payments are not enough to cover what’s owed, it is also possible to pursue tax refunds.
A parent must contact the Social Security office with a judge’s order to withhold the income. That will require the custodial parent providing proof to the judge that the payments have not been made. When the order to garnish the benefits has been provided to the Social Security office, the information will then be fed into the system so the money that is owed can begin to be repaid.
Child support can be an integral part of a child being cared for properly. If it is not paid on time and in full, it can negatively affect the child’s life and cause problems for both the custodial and supporting parent. Understanding the nuances of how Social Security payments can be used to get a supporting parent’s payments up to date can be complicated, and a family law professional may be of assistance.
