In all states, both parents are expected to financially support their children, and this does not change because parents are not married or because they are divorced. Under Oklahoma law, one or both parents can be ordered to pay child support.
If you were ordered to pay child support, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the consequences of falling behind on child support payments. Why? Because, a lot of noncustodial parents are in the dark about the consequences of failing to pay child support, and they do not discover the ramifications until it’s too late.
Enforcing Child Support Orders
If a parent falls behind on their child support payments, Oklahoma Child Support Services (CSS) has a number of enforcement tools to collect the money, such as ordering income withholding from a parent’s wages, unemployment benefits, Social Security Disability, or other sources of income. CSS can take the parent’s tax refunds, deny their passport, seize bank accounts and personal injury awards, and suspend the parent’s licenses among other enforcement measures.
For the purposes of this post, we want to expand upon the suspension of Oklahoma licenses because this is a common event. All 50 states have laws in effect that suspend the various licenses of noncustodial parents who fail to pay child support. In Oklahoma, the following licenses can be suspended or revoked for falling behind on child support:
- Driver license
- Professional license
- Hunting license
- Fishing license
In our experience, noncustodial parents in arrears are most concerned with their driver licenses and professional licenses because both of these affect a parent’s ability to earn income, and pay their child support arrears. So, these licenses are the primary focus.
Here’s what parents need to know about driver license suspensions: The Oklahoma Department of Public Safety (DPS) is authorized to “issue an Order of Revocation to any person obligated to pay child [sic] who owns or operates a motor vehicle and is not in compliance with an order of support.”
Do you have a legal issue surrounding family law, child support arrears, or a license suspension in Tulsa? For the clarity and legal assistance you need, contact Bundren Law Firm.
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