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In Florida and all states, both parents are obligated to support their children financially, whether they are married or not. This obligation does not change if a parent becomes disabled, incarcerated, unemployed, or physically or mentally ill. If you are a noncustodial parent who is ordered to pay child support and you skip payments, it won’t be long before the local child support agency will initiate enforcement actions.
“What types of enforcement actions might the local child support agency take against me?” you might ask. Such enforcement actions may include wage garnishment, bank levies, property liens, tax refund intercept, passport denial, and license suspensions. For the purposes of this article, we’re going to discuss the various license suspensions that can occur when a noncustodial parent falls too far behind on their child support payments.
Which Licenses Can Be Suspended in Florida?
“All 50 states have statutory or administrative provisions authorizing the suspension or revocation of various licenses for failure to pay child support. The licenses affected generally are driver's, occupational, professional (e.g., law), business and recreational (e.g., hunting and fishing),” according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
However, each state has its own criteria or threshold when it comes to the amount of child support arrears the parent must owe before their licenses can be suspended or revoked.
Which licenses can be suspended in Florida?
- Driver’s licenses
- Teacher certificates
- Occupational licenses
- Professional licenses
- Recreational licenses
- Business licenses
In addition to the above licenses, vehicle and vessel registration can be suspended until the obligor reaches an agreement with the local child support agency or reaches an agreement to pay off the arrears. If you owe child support and you’re concerned that your licenses and registration are at risk, we urge you to contact our office for a free consultation. **Consultation fees may apply to family law consultations.
Not only can we help you resolve the situation, but we can also take a look at your circumstances to help you determine if we should petition the family court to reduce your monthly child support payments. If there has been a significant change in your financial circumstances since the current child support order was made, you may qualify for a downward modification.