The coronavirus pandemic has turned so may people’s lives upside down. Maybe you are recovering from the virus or a loved one is working on regaining their own health. Or you might be grappling with your kids who are still trying their best to navigate the remote learning process while you have also been working at home.
Due to COVID-19, countless people in Florida and elsewhere in the nation have also been dealing with yet another crisis – unexpected job loss. That leads to a key question. What happens if a parent who is responsible for paying child support suddenly finds himself or herself without employment?
What the parent paying child support should be aware of is that even if he or she loses a job, they are nevertheless still expected to make child support payments. Failure to do so can have serious consequences.
If you don’t keep up with your payments, you might eventually have to pay them with interest. If you are in violation of your child support order, the result could be possible fines or even imprisonment.
Even though unemployment can certainly cause major changes and upheaval in a person’s life, it does not absolve someone from meeting his or her obligation to financially support their child.
Suggestions for a parent paying child support who loses a job
- See if you are eligible to receive unemployment benefits. Tell the unemployment department you are paying child support.
- Stay in touch with your former spouse and the family court while you are unemployed.
- Keep track of everything you are doing to find a new job.
- If the unemployed parent has lost his or her own health insurance and cannot take care of paying for the child’s health insurance, perhaps the child can go on the custodial parent’s health insurance plan instead.
An experienced attorney in Florida is a good source of information on divorce and child support issues.