There are many challenges facing single parent households. Financial challenges, especially the financial strain created when a parent actively avoids paying child support, can be especially frustrating and overwhelming for custodial parents.
A new system set up by the Missouri Department of Social Services hopefully lessens that burden. The purpose of the website is to allow employers to quickly and easily report new employees who may have child support obligations.
Federal and Missouri law require businesses to report employment of new hires within 20 days. Prior to the creation of the new website, reporting new workers in Missouri was a slow moving paperwork dominated process. With the new Missouri website, however, employers can easily enter this information with the click of a mouse.
Having a system that requires very little effort on the employer's behalf is intended to speed up the process of employment and wage verification. Noncustodial parents who owe money will be identified faster, thus allowing child support to more quickly be collected through income withholding. Considering that nationally almost 70 percent of child support is collected through wage garnishment, improvements to the system should have a considerable impact.
The state is estimating the new system will increase child support collections by approximately $7.8 million by 2012. This is a staggering sum, and is also telling of the inefficiencies of the old system. These additional child support payments will provide much needed relief to parents and children depending on those funds.
Although the new system will certainly benefit some parents seeking child support, many parents will still encounter challenges collecting the child support funds they are entitled to receive. If you are experiencing difficulties collecting the child support you need, contact a knowledgeable Missouri family law attorney.
