Failure to Pay Child Support
There are numerous consequences that stem from the failure to pay child support. One possibility is that you will be denied a U.S. passport. If you owe $2,500 or more in child support, you are not eligible to receive a U.S. passport. If you discover your eligibility is affected due to past due child support you must first contact the Domestic Relations section that handles your case to clear the balance. After having resolved any outstanding balance, it generally takes an additional 2-3 weeks before your application for a passport will be able to be processed.
Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure 1910.20 details other remedies that may be imposed for the failure to pay child support. These remedies include seizing periodic or lump sum payments, imposing liens on real property, seizing assets held in financial institutions, reducing and executing a judgment, initiating contempt proceedings, reporting past due amounts to consumer reporting agencies and suspending occupational, commercial/driver’s and recreational licenses. Once you become behind on child support the goal for purposes of enforcement is to collect any past due amount as quickly as possible. This is true even if a payment plan is agreed to between the parties and/or by the court.
