May a parent whose rights of parenting time are denied withhold child support from the custodial parent?
No. In the same way that a custodial parent may not deliberately disobey court-ordered parenting time rights in order to attempt to collect child support from a non-paying parent, the non-custodial parent also may not willfully disobey a child support order. Withholding support payments may be considered contempt of court, which is punishable by a jail sentence, fines, attorney fees, and court costs. Also, if the parent who withholds child support seeks custody, the deliberate non-payment of support may become an important factor in deciding that issue. The law provides remedies for denial or interference with parenting time. Depriving a child of support is not one of them.
Related Questions
- The custodial parent and I are in agreement on most issues regarding child support, custody, and parenting time, do we still have to come to court?
- May a parent whose rights of parenting time are denied withhold child support from the custodial parent?
- Can parenting time be denied if a parent doesn pay support?
