What You Need to Know About Child Support But Never Asked

This is important information whether you pay or receive child support. Information most lawyers do not tell you at the time the child support order was issued. Information that may help keep many of you out of court, or have better success in court.

If you receive child support, you probably get a basic child support amount paid weekly,

biweekly or monthly. Support payers need to keep proof of payment (canceled check) for twenty years after it was transacted. There is a 20 year statute of limitations for enforcement of child proof. Your bank destroys all records after seven years. So you’ll be shit out of luck after seven years if accused of missing payment(s) if you did not keep the proof.

If you receive child support, you probably also get reimbursed for certain “add-ons,” usually medical costs and childcare. Once you receive such a bill, and you make payment, you should mail a copy of the bill with proof of payment (canceled check, credit card slip, receipt, etc) to the other parent asking for his pro rata share (the percentage of the cost he or she is obligated to contribute. Keep a copy of everything you mailed. If you do not get your reimbursement within 14 days, re-mail it certified return receipt requested. If it is returned to you, do not open it up. You need not do this with every expense incurred, but should do it at least once every month. Support payers should then send a check for his or her pro rata share within 2 weeks. Again, Keep records for 20 years.

Be aware, most agreements and orders are written so that even if the support payer takes the child to the doctor and pays the out of pocket, the support receiver must reimburse the support payer the appropriate percentage of the cost.

When the youngest child turns 41, that is when you can throw it all out, or when the youngest reaches 42 if it was so agreed in the settlement to continue child support until the child turns 22 if a fulltime college student.