For many of us, one of the times of year we most look forward to is tax refund season. It’s the time of year that we get back a portion of the income taxes that were taken from our paychecks the previous year. People plan vacations, home renovations, and other large purchases for that time of year, because they know their tax refund will allow them to afford it. However, what if the tax refund you’re expecting never makes it to you? That is often the case for those who are behind on their child support payments in Nevada.
What Happens to My Tax Refund If I Owe Child Support in Nevada?
In Nevada, if you fall behind on your child support payments, you may face severe consequences, including:
- Contempt of court
- Having late and missing payments reported to the credit bureaus
- Driver’s license suspension
- Having interest charged on past due payments
- Passport revocation
- Occupational license suspension
- Serving months or years in prison
- Paying thousands in fines
The authorities generally act swiftly to collect overdue child support payments. A few of the ways that back child support payments are recovered include:
- Paycheck Garnishment – This involves withholding overdue child support payments directly from a parent’s paycheck.
- Bank Account and Lottery Winnings Seizure – In some cases, your bank accounts or lottery winnings can be seized to pay child support you owe.
- Coronavirus Stimulus Check Seizure – If you are still receiving stimulus checks, your stimulus checks can be seized and used to pay your back child support payments.
Another method that can be used to collect overdue child support payments is tax refund seizure. This involves the IRS taking the amount of unpaid child support you owe from your tax refund. This is allowed because of the Treasury Offset Program. The Treasury Offset Program enables child support enforcement agencies in each state to alert the Treasury Department about parents who are behind on child support payments. This enables the IRS to redirect any federal tax refunds due to the parent to the state’s child support enforcement agency, so it can be used to pay overdue child support.
Need Help with a Child Support Issue? Contact Our Experienced Family Law Attorneys Today!
An experienced family law attorney can help you if you’re having trouble keeping up with your child support payments, including successfully guiding you through the process of modifying or challenging your child support payments. A family law attorney can also help you renegotiate your child support payments through mediation.
For over three decades, Leavitt Law Firm has been a trusted and reliable legal advocate for Las Vegas residents seeking guidance regarding family law issues, such as divorce, child support, alimony, and child custody. Our experienced family law attorneys know what it takes to secure a favorable outcome for clients involved in divorce, child custody, and child support disputes. If you are struggling with issues involving child support, we may be able to help you like we’ve helped so many others in similar situations.
To discuss your situation with our compassionate, solution-oriented child support lawyers, give us a call at (702) 996-6052 or reach out to us online to schedule a confidential, no-obligation case evaluation.