From the mailbag… can we collect years of back support…
QUESTION:
Hi,
I was wondering if it was possible to collect back child support. From 1997 when my oldest child was born until about 2005 his biological father didn’t pay any child support…I finally found someone to help me establish child support back in 2005/2006. But I was just wondering if there was a way to collect the 7 years of no child support.
Also, the father of my 8 year old hasn’t made a support payment since February 13, 2015. I was wondering about getting help collecting that and what it would all cost. Thank you.
Tiffany (Florida)
OUR ANSWER:
Hi Tiffany,
Thanks for the email and questions. Unfortunately we cannot establish support outside the time frame the courts did. If the child is not over 18 yrs, you may be able to work with the courts to have an arrears amount established. Depending on the specifics of your case, this may be done but that would need to be determined by a judge. If the father did not pay support once the order was established and there are arrears owed, those funds are collectible.
For your other case, for a private agency to become involved in a case, there needs to be specific criteria : a minimum of $5000.00 owed in unpaid support and a lapse in support for over 90+ days(6 months if you reside in CA). Since you didn’t provide info on the case, this is all I can provide at this time. Please call me to discuss the case or send me your phone number and I will call you to discuss!
Let us know if we can answer any other questions.