Definition Arrearages - a term used to describe the deliquent amount of money, less the court-ordered amount of support.
Application in Divorce If a spouse does not pay the full amount of support, the missing amount is considered the arrearages.

A reduction of child support that is paid voluntarily is not considered an arrearage.

Many states have support enforcement agencies or departments to help individual’s collect past due support (arrearages). In order for these agencies or departments to act in one’s interest, the actual support order must be in the system.

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Questions & Answers
Helpful Tips & Facts
  1. Preventing Child Support Arreages
    This is often easier said than done, but most states have a system set up for automatic payment or wage garnishment to help prevent or reduce the amount of delinquency. This way payments are made in full and on time according to a set schedule, rather than relying on the payee to actually put a check in the mail. Many states make this mandatory, but others have it available as an option that must be selected through the court.
  2. Private Support Collectors
    When all else has failed, a last effort would be to hire a private child support collection agency to help recover your lost funds. These types of companies use a very hard-nosed approach and receive at least 40% of what is collected.
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