When the IRS Sends Your Coronavirus Stimulus Payment Straight to Your Ex: The COVID-19 Pandemic and Your Child Support Obligations
July 24, 2020
The COVID-19 has made us aware of the fragility of human life and of the economy. If you are able to spend time with your children, then you have the thing that matters most. The pandemic has made people in almost all professions fear for their financial security, though. If you are worried about being able to pay your bills in the coming months, it only means that you are human. Every time you read the news, there are more dismal predictions about Americans’ financial future; most of us were in debt before the COVID-19 pandemic, and now it is only becoming harder to get out of debt. The economic stimulus checks the IRS is sending to low- and middle-income Americans will provide some help, but they are just a one-time payment. If you are a Pittsburgh parent struggling to meet your child support obligations, contact Iwanyshyn & Associates about modifying your child support order.
Past Due Child Support and Your Economic Impact Stimulus Check
As an emergency measure to protect against the economic hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government is issuing a one-time payment to all Americans whose income is below a certain level. If your taxable income on your 2019 tax return was $75,000 or less, you are entitled to receive a $1200 payment, and if your income was between $75,000 and $99,000, you will receive a lesser amount.
The economic stimulus payment comes with few strings attached. You can still receive the money even if you owe tax debts or past-due payments on federal student loans. State governments are even trying to make it impossible for creditors with garnishment orders to touch people’s stimulus money. If you owe more than $2500 in past due child support, though, your coronavirus stimulus money will be put directly toward your child support obligations. In other words, you might never see the money, but it will go straight to your children.
When You Are Struggling to Pay Your Child Support Obligations
A record number of Americans has filed for unemployment since the states have ordered most businesses to close to prevent the spread of COVID-19. If you have lost your job, or if you have no longer been able to find the gigs that used to sustain you, you are not alone. A change in financial circumstances is a valid reason to reduce the amount you are obligated to pay. You can even make the change apply retroactively, meaning that the court will erase some of your child support debt. To protect your legal rights, you should have the court officially modify your child support order, instead of just informally agreeing with your ex-spouse that you will pay less money than the amount specified in the court order.
Iwanyshyn & Associates Understands Your Financial Struggles
Every parent has a responsibility to fulfill his or her children’s basic needs, including contributing to their financial support, but the court cannot require you to make child support payments beyond what you can afford. Contact Iwanyshyn & Associates in Pittsburgh for help modifying a child support order.”
