It is not that I disagree with child support - I simply think an easier arrangement would be to give both parents equal custody of children- perhaps on a monthly basis (first 2 weeks spent with one parent; last 2 weeks with second parent). Then, instead of child support payments, each parent is responsible financially for that child for that 2-week time frame each month. Of course, there are a lot of grey areas (i.e. who pays for the braces? new bike? etc.) but it seems a more fair system, and would work with 2 equally trustworthy and honest - and not spiteful- people.

The child support system in this country is a huge sham. I believe fully that parents should be held accountable for financial support - but how that is done currently is kafkesque. Read Baskervilles book "Taken into Custody" or many of his articles posted on various reputable news sites. One thing, if both parents are responsible for support and the NCP stops paying he or she is subject to some horrendous laws with little or no time for recognizing rights. If the CP stops paying for whatever reason - there are no ramifications - not even a mention. So while the law holds both parents equally responsible - they issue punishment for non-payment to only one of them - that means the law is fake.

Also - once paid to the CP how can anyone ensure that the money is actually used for the child - no one can - there is no accounting required. Where in the world to you pay for something where the receiver is not accountable for where your money went.

Currently our tax laws look at a status of a divorced/single parent without physical custody of their children as a single person in their tax status. Considering that the parent pay's support to the custodial parent, often insurance benefits to their child. However, due to a court decision often looses the right to claim their child on their tax return. The receiving parent usually get the child as a deduction. This puts the paying parent in a single status on their income tax. Costing the paying parent to pay higher taxes. This I know personally to have effected many non-custodial parents ability to pay. This increases the welfare, medicaid, food stamp programs due to the custodial parent needing further assistance due to the fact they are not receiving the support from the other parent, as well as clogging up our legal system. Things need to change in this aspect. Consider: Divorced-Child support dependent child as an addition to the normal Single, Married, Head of Household standard deductions. Most states require the child support to be paid to the State and the check must be then sent to the custodial parent. The State could then send a once a year something like a 1099 showing responsible parents. This would qualify them for the higher deductions. Promoting non-custodial parents to be responsible. Creating a trickle down effect to the assistance programs. The facts are as follows if a Custodial parent making 40k a year, claims head of household, claims deductions of the child, daycare, medical etc.. is essentially making (estimate $600 child support & $200 Health care) near $50,000.00 paying taxes on 40k with many deductions. Non custodial parent is paying $9,600 year, paying taxes on that money and is essentially allowed no deductions and must file single due to the fact the child does not live with them. This would be an incentive for many non-custodial parent to pay their child support in an appropriate manner. While this would not have and immediate effect, the trickle down would be tremendous. Sometime it is the little things in life that make the biggest changes. Just something to consider. Please let me know your views. So if you were a single non-custodial person would it be easier to pay your child support if you received fairness from tax laws.
Thank You & God Bless

I also share the injustice of arrears. My son is 30 years old and I am still trying to pay off arrears: I've been paying by payroll deduction, taking my bank account, federal taxes, leins so I can't by anything and continous threats by mail. I will never pay it off because of the high interest. I am told that what they take from my salary and taxes and bank account does not cover the interest, and that has been over the past 8 years and taking anything they can take, when is enough enough. Crimminals get sentenced do their time and start anew. But I feel like I am a crimminal for life because of past unemployment, homelessness and not making enough money to cover high interest. I tried to reach out to my ex who happens to work with Family Court but my attempts are unanswered. And I am told by lawyers there is nothing I can do but pay. I don't make that much money, I don't know what to do. Thank you for letting me vent. Can anyone help me?

My husband just got arrested on his way to work in the oil field. The tyler judge put a warrant out for him. The charge? revoked probation. He is current on child support, it autimatically comes out of his check. We pay the $40. per month probation fee, also current. He calls every month to Tyler to let them know the 5 questions they ask when your on probation.
So why is he revoked his probation? They say b/c he did not drive the 12 hour round trip every month to answer those questions.
We use to drive down there an he was literally in there for 5 minutes. In 2008 our landscaping business started to buckle under the pressues of people cutting back and the cost of rising gas prices. So there was no way to come up with around $300. every month to drive to tyler, an amount nobody benefits from us wasting.
We called every month and explained our situation of either paying the child support or driving to tyler. We chose to pay the support b/c after all it is suppose to be about the kids. There were months when we literaly had to choose between our own house payment and the child support. we chose cs b/c they hang jail over his head like it was nothing. Did I mention we have been togeher since he was 20, he is now 34 and we have 3 boys to also take care of. We went without a water heater for 7 months but we paid that cs and the probation fee.
what did we get for it..... My husband of 14 years is sitting in jail b/c we did not rob a bank for him to drive back in forth to Tyler!!! He has now lost the job that he just got in November that was catching us up and we were scheduled to be in tyler January 16th and told is probation officer this job was catching us up and he would be there!!! They put a warrant out in Dec. and did not inform him. He could of turned hisself in on his off week and kept his job. But no. A man who's only crime was not being rich enough for their demands and being very promiscuos at 16 has cost him his freedom, my kids, their father, and the kids on child suport their monthly payment, b/c we did not drive to tyler. Everybody was getting their money but nope, wasn't good enough for tyler.... Now noone will get anything and we will probably loose everything. He is in jail he now has no job. They won't let him bond out and now when he does get out he won't have a job to pay next months child support and he will go back to jail!!!! You think this system is for the children no way. everything i have said is true and his probation officer can back it up. My life, my kids life, and my husbands life was just stolen from us out of the blue, and there is not one thing we can do about it. Thats not JUSTICE! All the kids loose and he is locked up like a criminal, oh I'm sorry crminals get out on bond... he won't.

We say ex-fathers live in slavery. Consider first what slavery is: a) The work of a slave benefits a particular individual (the slaveholder); b) the slave is enslaved involuntarily (i.e., coerced); c) the status of a slave is enforced by the society's institutions, that is, it
is enforced by the law (otherwise, a slave merely runs away and is free). The simple reality (and I hope this truth is not too shocking) is that our children are being sold down the river, and their ex-fathers are now in indentured servitude to their former partners through the support payments fraud. These men are slaves. And, unlike the slaves of the Old South there is NO underground railroad to freedom in Canada.
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Ex-father -- a man denied the opportunity to raise his child.

Support is about the children not the war between the parents. BOTH parents need to contribute. However, when one has custody the majority of the time they are ALREADY carrying the bulk of the burden. They must provide most of the clothing, food, shelter, transportation, amusement, healthcare, etc. They incur most of the costs. Income alone should not be the ony factor-each parent should be supporting their child if they have any income. I have seen Fathers with lesser custody and greater income resist support but I have also seen Mothers and Fathers with lesser income feel that support is "the other person's" responsibility because they make more money" regardless of how much custody they have. I have also seen the resentment against an ex manifest itself in an absolute refusal to give them any control over any funds related to the child-eg a willingness to pay for a few activities or insurance but not a direct support payment. If you have 20% custody and 30% os the combined income I think it is clear that you ought to be paying something in support.

Support is about the children not the war between the parents. BOTH parents need to contribute. However, when one has custody the majority of the time they are ALREADY carrying the bulk of the burden. They must provide most of the clothing, food, shelter, transportation, amusement, healthcare, etc. They incur most of the costs. Income alone should not be the ony factor-each parent should be supporting their child if they have any income. I have seen Fathers with lesser custody and greater income resist support but I have also seen Mothers and Fathers with lesser income feel that support is "the other person's" responsibility because they make more money" regardless of how much custody they have. I have also seen the resentment against an ex manifest itself in an absolute refusal to give them any control over any funds related to the child-eg a willingness to pay for a few activities or insurance but not a direct support payment. If you have 20% custody and 30% os the combined income I think it is clear that you ought to be paying something in support.