Still paying CS for adult children

[FrustratedMom72]

Ok, just looked at the site, it only provides the last 13 months of payment history and balance. He needs the last 20 years!!!!

 

[Zigner]

Child support stops accruing at 19...but arrearage doesn't go away and interest is always being added.

 

[FrustratedMom72]

I understand that arrears do not go away, but at the same time, he has been paying $1400 per month ($16,800 per year) toward arrears for the last 6 years - calculate that - it totals to $100,800! As of 1999 his arrears were only $12,000. His payments have been on time, $1,000 for support and $400 for arrears every month until July 2005, then the entire $1400 per month should have begun going toward arrears, because my sister was 19. That's not including the $400 extra he paid monthly in the years between 1999 - 2005, while he was paying active support for my sister as well as the arrears. That's another approximately $28,800. Total that up, that's $129,600. What's the interest rate? About 975%!!!!!!! No matter how you add it up, it's WRONG!

 

[torimac]

Do you know for certain that the original order has stopped? Has he ever filed to stop paying the original order?

Child support does not automatically stop. Unless someone files, the last order issued continues to be active.

 

[FrustratedMom72]

There's no argument about it, he has paid over $129,000 on a $12,000 debt! There is no reasonable explanation for it.

I understand that there are deadbeat dads in the world, and Jersey is full of them, but my father is not one of them. He lost his job and couldn't find work and missed a year of payments. To make it worse, when he did find work, even though he made 1/2 of what he made in NJ, he continued to pay the $1,000 per month! He could have gone to court and requested a reduction, but he knew that my Mom needed the money to support my sister and I, so he continued to give her what was originally ordered. These people treat him like he's some kind of criminal. He never fled from them, always kept his address up to date with them - and they're scre*ing him!

At this point, he doesn't even want the +$100,000 back, he just wants them to STOP taking more away from him!

 

[FrustratedMom72]

Torimac

That's the issue. We believe he is still paying active support. He filed the papers to show that support should have been terminated, these papers were filed over a year ago. He was told that he would receive a court date, which never happened. He wasn't aware that he had to file papers, as he (stupidly) assumed my mother would be honest enough to report in the paperwork that CSE sends out twice a year (which she never even returned, she just threw em' out) to report changes, that we were not in college/had moved out/were over 19. Obviously he ass-umed wrong and is paying for it.

As I said, he's been waiting a year for a response. He calls at a minimum, 3 times a week and is pacified with some ridiculous response about them being backed up, blah blah blah. And that's when he actually gets to talk to someone. Usually, you get a voicemail message, leave a message and no one calls you back or it just rings and rings and rings.

 

[mistoffolees]

Torimac

That's the issue. We believe he is still paying active support. He filed the papers to show that support should have been terminated, these papers were filed over a year ago. He was told that he would receive a court date, which never happened. He wasn't aware that he had to file papers, as he (stupidly) assumed my mother would be honest enough to report in the paperwork that CSE sends out twice a year (which she never even returned, she just threw em' out) to report changes, that we were not in college/had moved out/were over 19. Obviously he ass-umed wrong and is paying for it.

As I said, he's been waiting a year for a response. He calls at a minimum, 3 times a week and is pacified with some ridiculous response about them being backed up, blah blah blah. And that's when he actually gets to talk to someone. Usually, you get a voicemail message, leave a message and no one calls you back or it just rings and rings and rings.

Then hire an attorney. That's got to be far cheaper than paying the next $129 K in support.

 

[FrustratedMom72]

Now my new question .....

He lives in Ohio, but the CS order is in NJ, where Mom still lives. I assume he needs a lawyer in NJ, correct? Will he be able to handle this through the mail/phone/internet/fax? One trip to NJ is doable, but numerous trips are not.

I can help him a little bit, but to travel to NJ means fuel, hotel, food, as he has no relatives or friends in NJ. To pay for that plus the lawyer fees is just not doable.

Will he be able to at least initiate this with an attorney and then just go to NJ for court date(s)?

 

[Alex1176]

Now my new question .....

He lives in Ohio, but the CS order is in NJ, where Mom still lives. I assume he needs a lawyer in NJ, correct? Will he be able to handle this through the mail/phone/internet/fax? One trip to NJ is doable, but numerous trips are not.

I can help him a little bit, but to travel to NJ means fuel, hotel, food, as he has no relatives or friends in NJ. To pay for that plus the lawyer fees is just not doable.

Will he be able to at least initiate this with an attorney and then just go to NJ for court date(s)?

I believe it's doable. Also, if the distance is far, the judge may allow him to attend the court hearing telephonically.

 

[45Frank]

OP I deal with Union County regularly and it as taking me months to get return calls. Call the freeholders office and tell them you want a return call and you will get one, I've done that in the past.There awesome agents and deadbeat agents also. They in Union county change workers every year so you may talk to one today and tomorrow someone else has your case and they do not tell you so you may be leaving a message with the old worker and they will not forward it. I know and lived it and have made many many trips because of it.
Good luck.

 

[torimac]

Torimac

That's the issue. We believe he is still paying active support. He filed the papers to show that support should have been terminated, these papers were filed over a year ago. He was told that he would receive a court date, which never happened. He wasn't aware that he had to file papers, as he (stupidly) assumed my mother would be honest enough to report in the paperwork that CSE sends out twice a year (which she never even returned, she just threw em' out) to report changes, that we were not in college/had moved out/were over 19. Obviously he ass-umed wrong and is paying for it.

As I said, he's been waiting a year for a response. He calls at a minimum, 3 times a week and is pacified with some ridiculous response about them being backed up, blah blah blah. And that's when he actually gets to talk to someone. Usually, you get a voicemail message, leave a message and no one calls you back or it just rings and rings and rings.

Which means that he may not be paying only arrears. He may still be paying the original order and then arrears. He needs to stop waiting, stop calling. It may be time for a road trip or, if that's not possible, time to hire an attorney.

 

[FrustratedMom72]

I understand what you all are saying, however going there is absolutely USELESS! No one will talk to you without an appointment, but you can't make an appointment because they don't EVER answer the phone. It's obvious an attorney is necessary. Frank (see above) knows exactly what I'm talking about! The case gets transferred, no one tells you it's been transferred, you leave messages that never get returned because they're never forwarded to the appropriate party. So either you get an attorney to force them to do their jobs, or you're sucked into their little scheme. It's absurd.

I've been through this myself with my oldest son. His biological mother dumped him on our doorstep in 1999, no food, no clothes .... nothing. We obtained legal guardianship of him a few months later, but they continued to garnish my husband's wages for 2 years after that. He owed NO arrears, and she had no problem taking money for a child that we were raising. We ended up getting all the money back from her, but the situation was a bit different, none the less, it took us 5 years to handle, from start to finish. There's no reason for that! They were taking money out of our kids' mouths and putting it in her pocket for 2 years, before we finally got to go before a judge. So I understand how the system works, it's extremely slow and disorganized!

 

[FrustratedMom72]

I really dislike being rude to people, and I extremely dislike people who are arrogant! I came here for a little bit of help and got the answer I needed. As soon as we can AFFORD an attorney we will obtain one! As I stated previously, thanks to my mother, my father has no money and I am battling disease, with 3 kids to feed .... our life savings has gone toward my medical treatment, so unlike some perfect people, I don't just have $500 to retain an attorney, we have to build it up!!!! In every day life, people don't ever think "I'm gonna have cancer in 5 years". Yes, I have insurance, even Aflac, but the medical bills are such that you couldn't even imagine! Some of us don't have a choice but to "delay" getting an attorney and your sarcasm makes you appear extremely arrogant! Obviously, if we had the money, we would've done that a long time ago!

Thank you all for your help, especially those who were polite! Have a great weekend!