When Kentucky parents split up over money issues, those problems can follow them into the divorce and afterwards. They can even affect child support payments.
This was the case with one couple whose marriage ended in part because of different ideas about money and career goals. Within a couple of years, the father was struggling financially and trying to put together a bankruptcy payment plan that would allow him to keep his home. However, when he phoned his ex-wife to tell her the child support would be late, she gave him a deadline of one month.
When he did not pay the full amount in that time, she turned the case over to the attorney general’s office. The effect on his credit meant that he was unable to create the payment plan and lost his home. His poor credit also resulted in the inability to purchase a new vehicle. The bad credit and the lack of a car also had an impact on his search for higher-paying employment. The issue here is that both parents were doing what they thought was best. The mother believed the best way to protect the children was to make a formal filing regarding the child support. The father felt he needed to maintain a functional co-parenting relationship despite his anger about her actions.
The bottom line for parents is that they are expected to contribute to the support of the child. Parents who pay child support and who lose a job or have another life circumstance that means they may be unable to keep up payments should file for a support modification. They should not procrastinate doing this because they will continue to owe the same amount in support until the modification gets approved.
