Unpaid child support in Clark County usually does not start with a dramatic event. It often begins with a missed payment, a short excuse, and then months of stress as you cover rent, groceries, school supplies, and activities on your own. As the gap between what the court ordered and what you are actually receiving grows, so does the anxiety about how long you can keep filling that gap yourself.
Many Las Vegas parents in this position start searching for how to enforce child support in Clark County and run into confusing, generic information. Some articles make it sound like the state will automatically chase the other parent for you, while others make enforcement sound so complicated and expensive that it hardly seems worth trying. Meanwhile, your bills do not wait, and it feels unfair that a court order is being ignored without consequence.
At Leavitt Law Firm, we have spent more than 30 years handling child support and enforcement cases in Las Vegas Family Court and throughout Clark County. Because we have seen how local judges and Nevada’s enforcement systems deal with real families, we know which tools actually get support flowing again and which steps often waste time. In this guide, we walk through how child support enforcement really works here, the options you have, and how to choose a path that fits your situation.
Call (702) 996-6052 to schedule a time to talk with our team about enforcing your child support order in Clark County.
How Child Support Enforcement Works In Clark County
A child support order in Nevada is a court order, not a suggestion. It sets the amount, frequency, and sometimes the method of payment that the paying parent is supposed to follow. Enforcement is what happens when that order is not followed and you ask the system, through the court or the state, to use legal tools to collect the support and address past-due amounts, called arrears.
In Clark County, enforcement usually involves two sets of players. On one side are the courts, often the Eighth Judicial District Court, Family Division in Las Vegas, where judges hear motions for enforcement and contempt. On the other side are Nevada’s child support enforcement agencies, which can handle things like income withholding, tax refund interceptions, and license consequences. Some cases run only through the agency, some only through the court, and many involve both at different stages.
Enforcement is rarely automatic. Even though Nevada law provides for income withholding and other tools, those tools generally need to be triggered by a request, motion, or referral based on non payment. That is why so many parents feel stuck, because they assume something is happening behind the scenes when in reality nothing will move until someone pushes it forward. We often see parents who wait a year or more, then discover that arrears have built up with no enforcement action at all.
It is also important to separate enforcement from modification. If the paying parent has lost income or had another change in circumstances, the correct legal response is usually a motion to modify the order going forward, not simply to stop paying. Courts in Clark County can enforce what is owed under the existing order and, in a different proceeding, decide whether the amount should change. Mixing these issues up is one reason some parents get blindsided by large arrears. Our experience in Las Vegas Family Court allows us to help clients decide when to push enforcement and when a modification issue also needs attention.
Common Misconceptions About Enforcing Child Support
We regularly meet parents in Clark County who delayed enforcement because they assumed the court or state would take care of it for them. One common belief is that as soon as a support payment is missed, some automated system starts contacting the other parent’s employer or intercepting their tax refund. In reality, if you do not notify the appropriate agency or court and ask for enforcement, nothing significant may happen for months or even years.
Another dangerous misconception is the idea of using parenting time as leverage. Many custodial parents tell us they stopped visitation because they were tired of unpaid support and wanted to force the other parent to pay. Judges in Las Vegas typically view support and visitation as separate issues. Denying parenting time can hurt your credibility, damage your co-parenting case, and even lead to changes in custody, all while doing little to collect the money you are owed.
We also hear frustration from parents whose former partner is self employed, working gig jobs, or getting paid in cash. There is a widespread belief that, in these situations, child support is simply unenforceable. While income withholding is harder when there is no steady paycheck, courts in Clark County still have tools, including contempt, license consequences, and liens, to pressure payment. The strategy changes, but your rights do not disappear just because the other parent is creative with their income.
Finally, informal side deals cause a lot of trouble. A paying parent might say, “I cannot afford this right now, can we just lower it until I get back on my feet?” Many parents agree verbally out of a desire to keep the peace. Months later, they are shocked to learn that the court still treats the original amount as owed and that arrears have quietly grown. In our practice, we emphasize that any change to support should go through the court. Otherwise, you may be giving up thousands of dollars without realizing it, and your enforcement case becomes more complicated.
Key Enforcement Tools Clark County Parents Can Use
Once you decide to take action, it helps to understand the main enforcement tools available in Nevada and how they tend to be used in Clark County. These tools can work alone or in combination, depending on the amount owed, the paying parent’s situation, and the judge or agency involved. Knowing the basic landscape makes it easier to have a focused conversation with a lawyer or caseworker.
The most common tool is income withholding, often described as wage garnishment, where support is taken directly from the paying parent’s paycheck before they see it. When set up correctly, this can turn irregular, stressful payments into a predictable stream deposited through the state’s payment system or directly to you. Courts and agencies in Clark County often prefer this option when the parent has steady employment because it is efficient and reduces conflict between the parents.
For larger or ongoing arrears, Nevada can intercept state and federal tax refunds and sometimes other payments to apply them toward child support debt. This usually happens through coordination with the enforcement agency and can be especially effective when the paying parent expects a sizable refund. Licenses, including driver’s and professional licenses, can also be affected once arrears reach certain levels, which can be a powerful motivator for a reluctant parent to get current or agree to a payment plan.
In more serious cases, especially where there is a clear history of ignoring the court’s order, a judge can hear a contempt of court motion. Contempt is a formal finding that the parent willfully failed to obey the support order and can carry significant consequences, including fines, payment schedules ordered by the court, and, in some situations, jail time. Contempt is not the first step in every case, but it is a tool Clark County parents should understand. Drawing on decades in Las Vegas Family Court, we help clients choose which tools are realistic for their case, rather than just listing options on paper.
Using Wage Garnishment To Enforce Child Support In Clark County
For many parents, income withholding or wage garnishment is the most practical and least confrontational way to enforce child support. In this context, wage garnishment means that the paying parent’s employer receives an order to deduct a set amount from each paycheck and send it to the appropriate agency or directly toward the support obligation. The parent does not choose whether to send the money, it comes out before they get paid, similar to taxes or retirement contributions.
In Clark County, income withholding can be part of the original child support order or can be added or enforced later when payments are missed. Sometimes the state enforcement agency initiates the withholding based on arrears information, and other times a motion in Las Vegas Family Court prompts the judge to sign an income withholding order that is then served on the employer. Which route makes sense depends on how your case was set up and how long the non payment has lasted.
Once the employer receives a valid order, there is usually a short processing period before the first garnished payment appears. Employers need time to adjust payroll, and pay cycles vary, so it can take a few weeks for you to see the impact. Parents are often surprised by this lag and worry that nothing is happening. From our experience, we prepare clients for this delay so they know what to expect and can track when the first withheld payment should reasonably arrive.
Nevada law limits how much of a paycheck can be withheld, balancing the child’s right to support with the paying parent’s need to cover basic expenses. If arrears are substantial, a portion of the withholding may go toward current support and another portion toward past due amounts. This is where precise calculations and documentation matter. At Leavitt Law Firm, we frequently help clients gather payment histories, present arrears figures, and obtain or enforce income withholding orders so that the structure is clear to the court and the employer from the outset.
Wage garnishment has clear strengths and some limits:
- Reliable for steady employment: It often works best when the paying parent has a long term job with a regular paycheck.
- Less direct conflict: Because payments come through the employer, there is less need for you to chase checks or argue about money.
- Weaker if jobs change often: If the parent frequently changes jobs or works for cash, new withholding orders may be needed, and other tools may be more effective.
- Requires accurate information: You need current employer details, which sometimes requires investigation or creative problem solving.
Other Powerful Enforcement Options: Tax Refunds, Licenses, And Liens
When wage garnishment alone does not solve the problem, or when arrears have grown significantly, other enforcement tools can come into play. Many parents in Clark County are surprised to learn that child support debt can follow a parent into their tax refunds, licenses, and even their property. Understanding these tools helps you see that non payment has real consequences beyond a simple overdue bill.
One common option is intercepting state or federal tax refunds to apply them toward child support arrears. In broad terms, once arrears reach certain thresholds and the case is properly set up with the enforcement agency, the agency can flag the paying parent’s identifying information so that refunds are captured and redirected. This is particularly useful when the parent works sporadically or underreports income but still files tax returns expecting a refund. While the timing depends on tax processing, this can create a meaningful lump sum reduction in arrears.
License consequences are another powerful pressure point. Nevada can restrict or suspend a driver’s license, professional licenses, or certain recreational licenses when child support arrears reach specific levels and the parent ignores notices to address the debt. For a parent who needs a license to work or drive to a job, this suddenly makes the support order impossible to ignore. At the same time, courts and agencies often prefer to use license actions as leverage to secure a payment plan rather than as an end in themselves.
For substantial, long term arrears, liens on property may also be appropriate. A lien is a legal claim against an asset, such as a house or land, that must be resolved before the asset can be sold or refinanced. In child support cases, this can prevent a parent from cashing out equity while leaving support unpaid. Setting up a lien usually involves careful documentation and court involvement, so it is not the first tool used in smaller cases. Our long involvement in Nevada’s family law system helps us advise when these more serious tools are worth pursuing and how to coordinate them with ongoing wage withholding or other measures.
These tools each have strengths and limitations:
- Tax refund interception: Most helpful when the parent regularly files returns and qualifies for refunds, less effective if they do not file or owe taxes.
- License consequences: Strong leverage for parents who need a license to work, but can make things harder if there is no clear plan for how the parent will earn enough to pay support.
- Liens: Useful for significant arrears when the parent owns property, but they take time and careful legal work to implement correctly.
Contempt Of Court For Willful Non Payment Of Child Support
Contempt of court is the enforcement option most people think of when they imagine getting the court involved. In a child support case, contempt means asking the judge to formally find that the paying parent willfully disobeyed a valid support order. This is a serious step, and Clark County judges treat it that way, because the court’s authority and your child’s well-being are both at stake.
The process usually starts with a motion for contempt filed in Las Vegas Family Court or the appropriate Clark County court. The motion lays out the existing support order, the payment history, the amount of arrears, and facts suggesting that the non payment is not an honest inability to pay but a choice. Once the motion is properly served, the court typically sets a hearing where both sides can present evidence and testimony about what has happened since the order was entered or last modified.
At the hearing, the judge looks at several factors. These include whether the paying parent clearly understood the order, how long payments have been missed, what income or resources the parent has had during that time, and whether there have been attempts to make partial payments or work out a lawful modification. Judges are often trying to answer a practical question, is this a parent who cannot pay or a parent who chose not to pay? Your documentation, such as bank records, pay stubs, and communications about non payment, plays a major role in how that question is answered.
If the court finds contempt, a range of consequences is possible. Judges in Clark County often start by ordering a structured payment plan to address both current support and arrears, sometimes with a clear warning that failure to follow the plan will lead to more serious sanctions. Fines are also possible. In some cases, especially where there has been repeated defiance of the court’s orders, short jail sentences can be used to underscore the seriousness of the obligation. Courts generally prefer outcomes that get support flowing regularly over outcomes that simply punish the parent, and we factor that reality into every enforcement strategy.
Knowing the decision making styles of local judges is critical when deciding whether to pursue contempt. Some judges may lean quickly toward strong sanctions in repeat, willful cases, while others may focus more on building a realistic payment path. At Leavitt Law Firm, we draw on decades in Las Vegas Family Court to help clients evaluate whether contempt is likely to move the case forward or whether a different enforcement tool, such as wage garnishment plus agency involvement, will accomplish more with less risk.
Practical Steps To Prepare For A Child Support Enforcement Case
Regardless of which enforcement tools you ultimately use, your case will be much stronger if you take a few practical steps before or while reaching out for help. Good preparation not only improves your chances in court or with the agency, it can also reduce attorney time and cost because the facts are clear from the start. Many Clark County parents are surprised to learn how much they can do on their own to get ready.
The first step is gathering documents. You should locate your most recent child support order, including any modifications, and any written agreements that were actually filed with the court. Next, pull together a detailed record of what payments you have received and when. This might be bank statements, online payment histories, or a log you have kept of cash or checks. If there were partial payments, note those as well, because courts look at patterns, not just whether the amount is exactly right each month.
Communications between you and the other parent can also matter. Text messages, emails, and letters where the other parent discusses payments, job changes, or reasons for not paying can give the court a clearer picture of what is really going on. Organize these by date and keep them factual, without adding commentary. Judges in Las Vegas appreciate when a parent can present a clean, chronological picture rather than scattered screenshots and vague recollections.
At the same time, avoid self help tactics that can hurt your position. Do not withhold visitation or attempt to make off the record deals about lowering support in exchange for something else. These actions can confuse the legal picture and give the other parent arguments to use against you. As a family owned firm that focuses on fair and cost-effective resolutions, we encourage clients to bring us organized records and a clear timeline. When they do, we can usually move faster and focus our time on strategy and advocacy instead of basic fact gathering.
A simple checklist before starting enforcement:
- Locate your current child support order and any written modifications.
- Create a payment log showing what was owed and what was paid each month.
- Gather bank records or other proof tying payments to dates and amounts.
- Save and organize messages about payment issues, job changes, or relocations.
- Write a brief timeline of key events, such as when payments stopped or became irregular.
When To Talk With A Las Vegas Child Support Lawyer About Enforcement
Not every late payment requires a lawyer. A one time delay that is quickly corrected may be something you can resolve informally. But certain patterns are strong signs that it is time to talk with a Las Vegas child support attorney who understands Clark County enforcement. These include several months of non payment, a growing stack of arrears, repeated job changes that seem aimed at avoiding wage garnishment, or an out of state move where you are unsure how to reach the other parent through the courts.
When you reach this point, having someone who knows the local system can make a real difference. A lawyer familiar with Las Vegas Family Court and Nevada’s enforcement agencies can help you decide whether to push for income withholding, pursue contempt, involve state enforcement more aggressively, or use tools like license consequences or liens. This is not just about knowing the law on paper. It is about understanding how particular judges tend to handle enforcement, how agencies process referrals, and which steps are likely to produce results in your kind of case.
Cost is a real concern for any parent already stretched thin by unpaid support. At Leavitt Law Firm, we focus on strategies that are fair and cost-effective, such as using thorough preparation and targeted motions instead of unnecessary hearings or conflict. As a family owned firm that treats clients like family, our priority is to help you restore stability for your child, not to escalate the situation just for the sake of a fight.
If you are dealing with repeated non payment or a complicated enforcement situation, you do not have to sort it out alone. A short conversation about your order, payment history, and the tools available in Clark County can clarify your options and next steps.
Call (702) 996-6052 to schedule a time to talk with our team about enforcing your child support order in Clark County.