Fathers and delinquent child support payments

California parents should know that according to a new study, non-custodial fathers who are delinquent in child support tend to spend less time with their children. Overall, they also work less and are more likely to have kids with more than one partner.

Parents in the United States paid $32.4 billion in child support during the fiscal year of 2015. These payments went through the Office of Child Support Enforcement. Generally, parents who do not reside with their children are required to make support payments to the custodial parents.

The study was conducted by two researchers who wanted to examine the association between paternal participation and child support debt. According to the authors, the study is one of the first to use national data to determine if non-custodial fathers have less of a tendency to see their children and provide in-kind support.

The data was obtained from a longitudinal survey of 4,897 urban families with kids born between 1998 and 2000. Researchers focused on the data pertaining to child support and father involvement when the children were 9 years old.

The survey results, which were released in the February edition of the “Journal of Marriage and Family” showed that over 30 percent of fathers were delinquent with child support payments and owed an average of $7,705. The research also indicated that delinquent dads were less involved with their kids and saw them an average of three fewer days a month.

A family law attorney may be consulted to assist with resolving child support issues. The lawyer may request enforcement measures for late payments or request modified child support orders due to a change in a client’s financial circumstances.