My ex and I have child support set up through our attorneys, and it’s automatically taken from his paycheck. He’s always made his payments on time, usually every Tuesday unless there’s a bank holiday. But today, the payment didn’t come through.
I called the state child support office, and they told me there’s a payment scheduled for tomorrow, but it’s more than double what it usually is. They couldn’t explain why, and I don’t know either. They said there’s nothing they can do, and now I’m stressed. I don’t want to keep the extra money if it’s not supposed to be mine, but I’m also unsure of what to do.
I’m not even sure who I should contact. My ex was abusive to me and the kids, so none of us want contact with him. Should I call my attorney? Should I just put the extra money aside and see if this issue sorts itself out?
Any advice would be really helpful.
UPDATE: I’m going to follow the advice from everyone and set the extra money aside.
Also, I just want to clarify that when I said I was “freaking out,” I didn’t mean I was losing it, just that I was worried since I’ve never heard of something like this happening.
In my state, when the court order gets set up, it can take a month or two before everything is processed, so they might automatically mark the payer as behind. Can you check if there’s an online portal for your case?
Kel said: @Finnian
This is the first time I’ve heard of a portal! I’ll look into that, thanks so much!
This happened to my ex too. He was making payments while the divorce was going through, but when wage garnishment kicked in, they didn’t credit him for the earlier payments, and it put him in arrears. They took extra from his paycheck for back pay.
It was such a hassle to get it fixed. They kept insisting he was behind, which was causing problems with his job in the military. I had to go in person multiple times to prove he wasn’t behind.
Kel said: @Finnian
This is the first time I’ve heard of a portal! I’ll look into that, thanks so much!
I’m in Texas, and there’s a parent login on the OAG website that shows payments, arrears, court orders, and lets you request a review. It’s super helpful.
This happened to me once. The person at the child support office said the state won’t force a refund. Whatever they get, they send on to me, and if adjustments need to be made, it’s on the payer to sort it out.
Are his wages garnished? Maybe he changed jobs or got a raise. If next month’s amount is the same, then lucky you! Or it could be a payroll error, and someone else may complain about missing money. Best to set aside the extra in case they correct it later.
This isn’t your responsibility. Just hold on to the extra for now in case they ask for it back. Let your attorney handle it if needed, but don’t give it directly to him.
Call your attorney right away. Put the extra money aside and don’t spend it. You’re probably going to have to give it back. Please don’t listen to people telling you to spend it!
Ashton said:
Call your attorney right away. Put the extra money aside and don’t spend it. You’re probably going to have to give it back. Please don’t listen to people telling you to spend it!
They probably won’t take it back, but they might not require another payment until it evens out. I had something similar happen when my ex’s job made a mistake, and he ended up ‘ahead’ for a while.
Ashton said:
Call your attorney right away. Put the extra money aside and don’t spend it. You’re probably going to have to give it back. Please don’t listen to people telling you to spend it!
The best thing would be to set the extra aside until things get sorted out. If your ex demands it back, tell him to contact his attorney, don’t give it back yourself.
No, don’t do this. If it’s a mistake, the bank could reverse it, and then you’d be stuck fighting to get the money back. Let the payment manager handle it.