What Is Child Support?

Child support is money paid from one parent to the other parent to help provide for the financial needs of the child. In most cases, child support is automatically taken out of the payor’s check and disbursed through the Minnesota Department of Human Services Child Support Department to the receiving parent. It is also possible for the payor to submit the payments directly to DHS if they are self-employed or don’t get a traditional paycheck.

Child support is an important factor in any child custody case. If you have questions about how much child support you may have to pay, how that money can be used, or how to get a child support order modified, our law firm can help.

What Is the Purpose of Child Support?

The purpose of child support is to ensure that the child gets to maintain the same general standard of living that they had before the parents’ relationship ended. While the money is to help provide for the financial needs of the children, it’s important to note that this doesn’t mean that the money has to go directly to the child or be spent on things like clothes or school supplies. While child support does often help with these expenses, child support is also to help provide for some of the necessary expenses in raising a child such as rent, utilities, child care, and food.

Why Is Child Support So Important?

Child support is important because it is much harder to make ends meet on one income as a single parent. When one parent has the child the majority of the time, they are going to be incurring a larger percentage of those expenses. Child support helps cover some of that gap. Child support can also help expenses be a bit more equal between two parents who have a large disparity in income.

How Can I Get Child Support Enforced?

If your ex is court-ordered to pay child support but isn’t fulfilling that obligation, you can start enforcement measures by contacting the Minnesota Child Support Enforcement Agency. A caseworker will determine if the payor has a job and if that income can be garnished. If the payor continues to not meet their child support obligation, child support enforcement measures can include fines, losing their driver’s license, and even jail time.

While the courts recognize the importance of both parents playing a role in the financial support of the child, it’s also important to keep in mind that no two situations are exactly alike. If you have questions about how to get a child support order started or what to do if you aren’t able to fulfill your obligations, call our firm today at 651-571-8547 to schedule a consultation.