Child support is designed to ensure that both parents financially contribute to raising a child. When child support is ordered by the court, it is required to be paid according to schedule. Unfortunately, not all parents fulfill this obligation, and the other parent may suddenly find that they are no longer receiving the child support that the children are entitled to. If your ex has stopped paying child support, take the following steps:

Contact Your Ex

While you may not want to stay in touch with your ex, it is usually a good idea to contact him or her when the child support payment does not arrive on time. Ask your ex if the child support payment was sent-- there is a possibility that the check got lost in the mail or there was an error transferring the money to your bank account. If your ex did not send the child support payment for a specific reasons, such as a job loss or other financial emergency, he or she should tell you at this time. In the event that your ex has chosen to not pay child support despite the ability to pay, you will will need to escalate the situation.

Talk to a Child Custody Lawyer

If your ex has admitted that he or she does not plan to send you child support or if he or she has failed to send several payments, you need to talk to a child support to learn what your options are. If your ex is gainfully employed and has assets, your best option may be to take him or her back to court in order to have the child support order enforced. In some cases, the court may be able to order to have your ex's wages garnished so you are guaranteed to receive the back payments owed as well as future payments.

An ex who is unemployed or working under the table may not be worth taking back to court at the present time. If lawyer and court fees are going to cost you a substantial amount, you may not want to spend the money if there is no way to get a judgement against your ex that will recover the money.

Get Help from a Local Government Child Support Agency

A government child support agency may be helpful when you do not know the exact location of your ex, or if your ex is currently unemployed but may work in the future. The agency can take your ex's information, including social security number, and can track him or her down or attempt to collect the back child support when he or she becomes employed and is earning a wage. 

For more information, contact companies like DiPietro Family Law Group.