Stopping Child Support Payments North Carolina

Whether you’re separating from your spouse or are an unmarried couple looking to determine custodial rights of your child, if you do not have joint legal custody, you may be required to pay child support. The North Carolina court is required to decide the amount of child support you are required to pay based on the health and well-being of your child. Many factors play a role in settling the amount of child support the non-custodial parent must provide, including: 

• How many children require support
• Pre-existing child support obligations
• Whether a child has special needs
• Special situations that involve deviation
• Child custody arrangements
• The amount of visitation time
• Gross income of both parents
• “Extraordinary expenses” paid on behalf of a child (i.e., private school tuition)

Paying child support is extremely important for you and your child. There are severe consequences to not paying your required dues, and it will put you at risk of losing more custody rights. From education to clothing, children grow and require a significant source of income to take care of them. Only when you are absolved of these legal obligations can you stop paying child support.

In some situations, non-custodial parents may seek to stop paying child support due to several different reasons. While not everyone can qualify to stop their child support payments, some of the appropriate circumstances to seek legal assistance to terminate your child support payments include:

• Your child is 18 and finished their high school education
• Your child is 20 years of age or older
• Your child is not living with their other parent whom you pay to support to
• Your child lives with you a majority of the time
• You and your child’s other parent have reunited and lived together
• You learn the child is not biologically related to you
• Your child is not a full-time student and has enlisted in the military
• Your child has been legally emancipated before they turn 18 years old
• Your child is married before the age of 18
• Your child was deported
• The custodial parent agrees to stop support

Any of the above situations can allow you to seek help from a dependable lawyer to stop child support payments. It’s crucial that you don’t stop without getting legal confirmation that you are no longer obligated to pay child support, so you don’t face legal consequences. Working with an experienced attorney is essential to stop your child support payments.

Taking care of your child is a full-time responsibility that a parent is required to handle. If you are not the custodial parent, helping your child by supplying resources is a crucial part of your job as a parent. When you are unable to pay or choose not to, you can face serious legal consequences that can affect you, your child, and your relationship with them. 

The following are a few examples of penalties you can face for not paying child support: 

• Expensive fines
• Suspension of passport, driver’s license, and other occupational, sporting, or recreational licenses
• Money from state and federal tax refunds can be taken
• Withholding income from your paychecks, social security benefits, unemployment benefits, workers’ compensation, or veterans’ disability compensation
• Sentencing you to jail time

When you are charged for not paying child support, the above punishments can affect your relationships, career, and many other aspects of your life. However, if you find it difficult to pay child support or are seeking to stop paying, talking with your reliable child support attorney can help guide you in the right direction.