Deadbeat Parents
Non-custodial parents who avoid their child support obligations are sometimes termed dead-beat parents. Parents who share an equal role in parenting are far more likely to comply, with child support compliance going up above 90% when the payer states she (or he) believes he has a relatively equal role in parenting.
The US Department of Health and Human Services estimates that 68% of child support cases had arrears owed in 2003, a 15% increase from 53% in 1999. It is claimed that some of these arrearage cases are due to administrative practices such as imputing income to parents where it does not exist and issuing default orders of support.
According to one study reasons given for non-payment of support were as follows:
| Reason | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Inability to pay | 38% |
| Protesting lack of visitation | 23% |
| Lack of accountability | 14% |
| Prefer to give up a child | 13% |
| Denied paternity | 12% |
According to another study, 76% of the $14.4 billion in child support arrears in California was by parents who lacked the ability to pay. The "deadbeat" parents had a median annual income of $6349, arrears of $9447 and an ongoing support of $300 per month because 71% of the orders were set by default.
Read more about this topic: Child Support In The United States
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