People say that it takes a village to raise children, but parents make the biggest contributions. Both parents need to spend time with the children or, at the very least, make financial contributions to the children’s upkeep. Even when parents no longer have a relationship with one another, they still have obligations to their shared children.
Whether you were once married to the other parent of your child or never had a long-term relationship with them at all, both of you need to help support your children to ensure the best standard of living for the kids and the best developmental outcomes as well. Unfortunately, there are many parents who will happily try to avoid their responsibilities to their offspring and to the children’s other parents.
How might one parent in Georgia try to avoid their financial obligations to their children?
They leave their jobs and look for work with cash payments
The first child support enforcement stuff that the state will typically take involved withholding wages by cooperating directly with an employer. Some parents want to avoid those deductions, so they quit their jobs and look for other work.
Some people can negotiate arrangements with your current employer to start working under the table, while others will start doing odd jobs, babysitting or even illegal work, like small-scale drug distribution, to avoid having a paycheck. The courts may try to connect such parents with support in securing better-paying jobs.
They try to hide their assets
When the Georgia courts determine the right amount to set for child support obligations, they look at income and assets for both parents, as well as extraordinary expenses and the division of parenting time.
Someone with substantial personal property might under-report the value of their assets or even hide valuable property like financial accounts and real estate from the courts or their ex. The parent trying to secure an appropriate child support amount based on their ex’s true financial circumstances may need to gather evidence of unreported income or hidden assets to connect with the child support their children need.
Learning the basics of child support in Georgia and how people avoid their responsibilities will help you more easily advocate for your children’s needs.