When child support has gone past due for months, years, even decades, it’s easy to give up and think the money you’re owed will never make it into your hands. You’ll do your best to provide for your children, but you’re stuck living paycheck to paycheck while living on a strict budget in order to make ends meet. That’s just your lot in life, right?
Wrong.
While you probably will never have the financial or social freedom of the Clooneys, who just welcomed their first set of twins, and your kids will never have the opportunities their new twins have, you can get back child support that you’re due. But this help isn’t coming from your state department.
Their offices are overworked and underpaid, which means they can’t offer the care your case so clearly needs. Luckily, there is private child support help that operates alongside public assistance. Their offices have greater resources at their disposal, so their team of experts can locate non-custodial parents and successfully negotiate payment schedules.
The best private agencies combine legal strategy with field agents as a winning coordinated approach to solve the issue of non-payment — even if it’s back due for years. They have investigation and negotiation experts who can dig through clues in order to locate your NCP and demand payment. They also have legal specialists who can put a lien on property to ensure support is paid, even if their negotiation attempts fail.
Not all private child support enforcement agencies can effectively coordinate so many different professionals on one case, so it’s important to do research. Below are a few questions you should consider before hiring an agency:
- Has the Better Business Bureau received any statements of dissatisfaction against the agency? Be sure that you investigate the company’s name and stature through the Better Business Bureau and other third-party organizations that compile customer reviews.
- How much revenue of the total child support collected does the agency retain? Private child support services fund their businesses through the finances that are successfully collected. They shouldn’t take an unfair percentage, nor should they charge unusual fees for their services before they collect support.
- Is the agency licensed and bonded? Legitimate Child support enforcement agencies should adhere to all required mandates.
- Are they willing to offer a candid contract? Some states do demand a collection license so find out if yours does.
Stop assuming you won’t ever see this financial assistance. Do your children a favor and use these questions to help find a successful enforcement agency, and you’ll land with a team of professionals who can track down back child support regardless of how long it’s past due.
