
Navigating Child Support Orders Between Two States
Every state must impose uniform guidelines for child support, which must account for the child's needs and well-being as well as the paying parent's other children and his or her ability to pay.
Enforcing a child support order can be difficult, especially when the person
who should be paying lives outside of California. Luckily, the federal
government successfully pushed every state to adopt the Uniform Interstate
Family Support Act (UIFSA), which requires states to work together to
create and enforce
child support orders.
Prior to the UIFSA, there was no coordination between states, resulting
in conflicting orders and disputes over which state was entitled to collect
child support. Now, only one state can issue one order at a time for a
payor-child combination. The state that issues the order is the only state
that can modify the order, as long as either the payor or child lives there.
Child Support Guidelines
Under the UIFSA, every state must enact Child Support Guidelines to aid courts and child support enforcement agencies in determining how much a non-custodial parent must pay. The Guidelines are to take into account the following factors:
- The child's needs
- The child's current and future well-being
- The paying parent's other dependents
- The paying parent's ability to pay
If no child support order exists, the child's state of residency can establish and enter an order without dealing with another state. Or, a local child support agency can work with another state to secure an order or to have it enforced. The laws of the issuing state govern all aspects of a current order, including the handling of delinquent support payments.
Enforcement of an order is probably the most powerful aspect of the UIFSA. Families often rely heavily on a full and timely child support payment. A late, missed or partial payment can jeopardize a child's interests. State enforcement agencies have significant authority to enforce payment, including wage garnishment, tax refund interception, bank account levies and liens on property. Agencies can even go so far as to suspend professional, occupational and driver's licenses.
Child support payments are important to children and are ordered for a reason. States take the failure to make payments very seriously. The UIFSA has created a uniform system nationwide to ensure that support orders are adequate, accurate and properly enforced.
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Our FAQ
Have questions? We are here to help. Still have questions or can't find the answer you need? Give us a call at 949-565-4158 today!
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Direct Numbers Of Additional Community Resources:
- Parenting Classes and Counseling Referrals, Infolink: 714-955-2255
- Child Abuse, Child Abuse Registry: 714-938-0505
- Domestic Violence, Domestic Violence Hotline: 714-992-1931
For a consultation with an Orange County attorney at the Burch Shepard Family Law Group, call (949) 565-4158 or contact us online.
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Community Resources:
A variety of nonprofit social services agencies provide counseling services to divorcing families in the areas of domestic violence, marriage, family and children, and drug and alcohol abuse. Legal assistance is also available. For a list of these community resources, please contact Family Court Services at 714-935-6550.
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Books To Help Divorcing Parents And Their Children:
- My Mom and Dad Are Getting a Divorce by Florence Bienenfeld
- Mom's House, Dad's House by Isolina Ricci, Ph.D.
- Co-Parenting by Miriam Galper
- When Living Hurts by Gordon Sol
- Megan's Book of Divorce: A Kid's Book for Adults by Eric Jong
- Child Custody: Building Agreements That Work by Mimi E. Lyster
- The Parental Alienation Syndrome: A Guide for Mental Health and Legal Professionals by Richard A. Gardner, M.D.


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