Q: How long do I have to collect child support that hasn’t been paid in years?
There is no actual statute of limitations, per se, but the question can immediately come up, “Why did you let all that time go by without doing anything, now that there are so many resources available to people receiving child support?” After so much time has elapsed, you may not be able to collect anymore.
Sometimes there’s a legitimate reason for not being able to collect; perhaps the person who is supposed to be paying support has disappeared, and you literally have no way of finding them.
If the payor is simply delaying payment and making excuses as to why he or she can’t pay, it’s expected that the other parent will get tired of the excuses sooner, maybe within a few months, rather than years when a retroactive collection of child support would be harder to get.
Everyone’s facts and circumstances are unique to their situation so you should talk with an experienced child support lawyer and not rely on what you read on the web.
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