Whether you receive child support from a non-custodial parent or you have to pay support, you should have a clear understanding of your rights and options if problems arise. In addition, if you cannot pay child support or your child’s other parent is not fulfilling their child support obligations, you should know that many other parents find themselves in this position.

From looking into enforcement strategies to modifying your child support order or creating a payment plan to address back support, you should carefully address any child support challenges you face.

Data on child support in the U.S.

The Census Bureau published data on child support payments in 2017, during which the median amount of child support received by a parent over the course of the year totaled $3,328. However, this figure increased to $4,431 among parents who regularly received child support in 2017.

It is also important to note that many parents did not receive child support owed to them. In fact, among parents who received some amount of child support in 2017, 1.7 million either received irregular child support payments or none during certain months. Moreover, many parents do not receive any child support at all, even though the other parent has a legal obligation to pay.

Child support and your options

If you face any hardships due to child support issues, from not paying support you owe to not receiving payments you count on, it is important to look into your options. Addressing child support problems swiftly is very important, especially since this issue can quickly grow into an extremely serious situation.