I have lost my job due to Coronavirus, do I still have to pay child support? Yes, you do. If there is a court order, then you have to comply with the order or you could be held in contempt of court. Fortunately, most people who have been laid off will be eligible for unemployment at your full rate of pay for a number of months. Below are some of the issues with child support and COVID-19.
This usually means that you are paying your child support through the court. If you are no longer receiving a paycheck, then you must make your own arrangements for payment. DO NOT pay the other parent directly as this will not be posted to your account and the court will not know that you have made your payment. Instead, send your payment to the State Disbursement Unit, PO Box 100302, Columbia SC 29202-3302. Be sure that you include your full name, assigned Member ID Number if you have one, your social security number, the county and the case number. You can find the case number at the top of your order from the court and it will look like C.A. No.: 2020-DR-23-0000. Click on the link below for more information. Keep a copy of everything for your records.
Information for Parents Paying Child Support
If you can’t pay on a temporary basis and are paying the other parent directly, contact them and let them know why you cannot pay and what you are doing to ensure payment in the future. Most people will be receiving stimulus checks or unemployment and you can use those funds to catch up any arrears that you owe. The worst thing that you can do it to stop paying anything. You need to pay what you can so that if you have to appear in court you can show the judge that you have been trying and that you have paid what you could.
If it appears that you will not be able to pay your child support even with the assistance, you should contact your family law attorney and discuss filing for a modification or even a termination of your child support. Court ordered child support does not automatically stop when your child reaches 18 and graduates from high school. It is up to you to file an affidavit with the court and have the judge issue an order stopping your child support. If there has been a substantial change in your income, you may be entitled to a modification of your child support. This requires a court filing and a hearing before the judge. Your attorney can discuss with you the best way to proceed.
That depends on whether your state has shared that information with the Treasury Department. Federal guidelines require that South Carolina and other states share information with the Treasury Department on who is behind in their child support. If that has been reported, they will keep your check and apply it to your arrears.
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