If you have difficulty paying child support after ending your marriage or worry about this issue as a parent working through the divorce process, it is crucial to go over your options, rights and responsibilities. If you fall behind on child support, different problems could come up, such as tax refund interception, time behind bars and the loss of your driver’s license.
You should take steps to ensure that you stay caught up on these obligations, and promptly pay arrears if you have already become delinquent.
Driver’s license suspension due to unpaid child support
The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles states that if you do not pay child support in accordance with a court order, the state could suspend your driver’s license. Losing your license could negatively affect your life in different ways, whether you have a hard time getting to work or have to miss out on important events and activities.
Moreover, the loss of your license could make it even tougher to fulfill your child support obligations.
Addressing back child support and license suspension
It is important to deal with unpaid child support right away to safeguard your driving privileges. If you satisfy your child support obligations prior to the date of suspension, the state will remove the suspension without requiring a reinstatement fee. However, you have to pay a reinstatement fee to restore your license after the date of suspension, and the fee is higher if you have previous suspensions due to unpaid child support.