614-241-2174Ohio parents who need to negotiate or dispute child support issues might wonder about the long-term effects of their decisions. Breaking up often inspires very passionate feelings. When decisions are made based on those emotions, they can also affect finances, including the financial well-being of their own children. Therefore, parents are advised to act in the best interests of their kids, even when they struggle to get along with their exes.
When a parent fails to pay child support, or pays late, the receiving parent has the option of reporting them to the attorney general’s office. The AG’s office could then pursue the payer for the unpaid amount. While in a moment of anger, this might sound like a just course of action. However, there are also consequences involved.
A report to the AG’s office means that the payer’s credit will be impacted, as the non-payment or late-payments will be reported as such, in turn affecting the payer’s credit history and rating. This could be important when the payer is seeking employment since a credit check is one of the first things some companies now do when looking at prospective employees. Therefore, that one call could start a chain of events that might prevent the parent paying support from getting a new, higher-paying job that would have contributed to child support payments.
Important decisions such as this should not be made in the heat of a moment of anger since they can backfire and actually hurt the parent and children receiving the support. Parents who find themselves in similar situations might consider consulting with a family law attorney. Legal counsel could help a client make the best decisions for their children.