How are Support Obligations Enforced?
Income withholding by employers is the single most effective method of child support collection. Each pay period the employer deducts a specified amount from the NCP's income for the child support payment. The deducted amount is sent to the NC Child Support Centralized Collections within 7 days of the deduction. Income withholding can also be initiated with entities other than employers when the NCP has other sources of income such as unemployment insurance benefits (UIB), Worker's Compensation, Social Security benefits and veteran's disability benefits. Employers are required to withhold income for child support orders that are enforced by other states in accordance with the laws of the state where the NCP is employed.
Frequently Asked Questions
A parent cannot be arrested solely because child support payments are not paid. The noncustodial parent must be served with a Motion and Order to Show Cause. This allows your case to be heard before a judge and gives the noncustodial parent the opportunity to explain why he or she has failed to abide by the terms of the support order. If the judge determines that the parent had the ability, but chose not to pay as ordered, the parent may be found in contempt and a penalty will be applied.
Child support workers may offer suggestions on where to seek employment, but they do not have the authority to require someone to go to work. If your case has reached the court system and the noncustodial parent has a history of unemployment, the judge may require the parent to seek employment and return to court at a later date.
We may intercept a state tax refund if the noncustodial parent owes at least $50 in past due support. The federal tax refund may be intercepted when the noncustodial parent owes at least $500 in past due child support for non-public assistance cases and at least $150 in public assistance cases.