Child Support Enforcement Agency

• Search for your state's child support enforcement agency in your local phone book. This agency helps collect back support for families who receive public assistance, as well as those who do not. An application is required from families who do not. If receiving public assistance, you must help the agency locate the parent who owes back child support and fully cooperate with the process. Failure to cooperate may result in denial of future public assistance. You may have to pay a small fee for public lawyer representation while utilizing this service.
  
  

Wage Deduction

• Contact the county clerk's office to begin the process for wage deduction. This is an involuntary process of collecting child support through the absent parent's wages. The court system will set up a schedule with the default parent's employer to begin collecting payments. If the employer does not comply, he may be held personally responsible for repayment of the support.
  
  

Judgments or Attachments

• The court may choose to place a judgment against the default party if you cannot collect it through wage deduction. This process is most beneficial when the default parent has income or any property that can be sold or liquidated to pay the past due amount. A judge may place an attachment on valuable property or money within a financial institution if there is still refusal to pay. The courts may utilize this option to seize the property or money from the default parent in order to pay past due child support. You can begin this process by contacting the county clerk's office and asking the court to place a judgment or attachment against the default parent.
  
  

Prosecution

• If any or all of these methods do not prove beneficial for your situation, submit a complaint to the district attorney's office. Depending on your case, the DA may decide to prosecute the absent parent. If the parent is guilty of owing the back support without attempting to pay it, he may spend time in jail. In situations that do not require jail time, probation may be a viable option. In order to avoid jail in this case, he will have to keep his child support payments current.