Paying child support is a tremendous responsibility. The payments that are made are distribute to the custodial parents to ensure that their children have what they need to live a comfortable life. There are many cases today being open for establishing child support so the custodial parents may receive assistance from the non-custodial parent in supporting their child/children. There are several things you must do as a custodial parent before you receive child support payments. One, you must establish child support, second, you must locate the non-custodial parent, and if the non-custodial parent refuses to acknowledge the child you must have a paternity test performed. If the non-custodial parent refuses to pay child support once they are determined to be the biological father, then the court will use several method to enforce child support payments. Child support laws have slight differences from state to state, but one similarity that all 50 states do have is that child support must be paid by the non-custodial parent or they may face consequences.

When establishing child support the custodial parents must fill out a applications. When filling out this applications, you must provide as much information about you and the non-custodial parent. Information such as the non-custodial parent's first and last name, social security number, and date of birth. If the custodial parent is receiving any type of assistance from the state or federal government, the application fee may be waived. In some states the child support application fee can run up to twenty five dollars.

Before child support can be awarded, the custodial parent must have the non-custodial parent found. There are several methods used in locating the non-custodial parent. If the custodial parent provides the local child support court office with the social security number of the non-custodial parent, then that would be able to track them down when they are hired at a new job. Providing information about the non-custodial parents friends and family may also prove useful when tracking down the missing parents. Once the parent is located, the local county sheriff will stop by their residence and provide them with child support orders which they would have to sign. The child support orders inform the non-custodial parents that they are being sued for child support and must attend a mandatory court hearing to determine if they are responsible for child support payments and how much they are going to have to pay.

Paternity testing is the procedure where a small bodily fluid sample is extracted from the alleged father and child and a testing is done to see if the samples of fluid are a match. Once the non-custodial parent has been located and summoned to court, the child support administer will ask if a paternity test is necessary. A test would be automatically performed if the non-custodial parent refuses to acknowledge the child/children. Paternity testing is done by taking DNA sample (saliva) of the father and child to see if there is a 99.9% match. Only then will the non-custodial parent be responsible for making child support payments. After the test is done and the samples are taken, you may want to give it two to four weeks before you get any results back. If the father does acknowledge that he is the father, he may sign the birth certificate at the hospital at the time of birth or he can sign a statutory declaration of acknowledgement form. You will need to hire your own lawyer to have any paternity testing performed.

Soon after child support is established and the biological father is acknowledged, the court will order the non-custodial parent to make timely child support payments. If the non-custodial parent refuses to make those payments, the child support enforcement office will be force to use methods in order to motivate the parent to pay. These methods are slightly different from state to state. Most of these methods include passport denial, license suspensions, including driver's, professional and recreational, tax refund interceptions, and sometimes federal prosecution. In the United States there are many child support evaders who will go out of there way to avoid paying child support. These people must be found and prosecuted for not living up to their obligations.

Paying child support can be difficult sometimes, especially if you are laid off from a job or receive a deduction in pay. In most states child support orders are reviewed once every three years to see if modifications are necessary. Child support modifications can also be requested by either the custodial or the non-custodial parent. If a non-custodial parent loses their job or is not making the money that they were making, they can request to have their child support payment reduce. However, if the non-custodial parents receives a promotion and is making a lot more money than before, the custodial parent is able to request modifications to increase the child support payments. Modifications are performed and executed depending on the lifestyle of either parent.

Children are often victims of illness, that is why health insurance is provide for most. In most states in America, when a non-custodial parent is ordered to pay child support they are also responsible for providing health insurance for the child/children. In other states both parents are responsible for providing medial insurance for the child/children. If a non-custodial parent is ordered to pay health benefits for the child/children, it will automatically be garnished for their wages.

Child Support in some states end when the child is 18 years of age are when they graduate from high school, which ever happens last. Some states the child would have to be 19 years of age before any payments are ceased. Child support payments may also be terminated if the child is emancipated form the parents. Once the child reaches the appropriate age, child support payments will not end if there are any arrears that are remaining.

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