When a couple separates and a child is involved, one party or the other is ordered to pay child support to help support that child. Some people, however, do their best to avoid having to pay and will sometimes quit their job, work under the table or simply not make the payments. When this happens, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will generally step in and withhold the person's tax refund so the legal obligation is paid.
Contact the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Anytime a tax return is filed, the IRS will determine if you are responsible for any debts that have been unpaid, such as back taxes or back child support. Since these types of debts are court ordered, or legally owed, the IRS has the authorization to withhold your tax refund to pay back these types of debts. However, if they are going to do so, then the IRS must contact you in writing stating what they are withholding for that reason. Adjustments will be made to the amount you receive as a return of overpaid taxes.
Contact your local child support enforcement agency. In many cases, child support is not paid directly between the parties. In many states, child support enforcement agencies act as the go-between. The payer pays the child support agency and the child support agency pays the payee. In other states, child support enforcement only gets involved if there is a nonpayment issue. Regardless of which case applies to your state, you can contact your local child support enforcement agency to find out if you will be receiving child support from the payer's tax return.
Check "Where's My Refund?" on the IRS website. If you are ever in doubt about the status of your refund, the "Where's My Refund?" function on the IRS website is available to check on the status of your return. You will be able to view when you can expect to be paid your refund and even see if there have been any adjustments made to your refund. This will not help, however, if you are trying to see if money has been withheld from another party to pay you.
Tips
If you are expecting back child support, your child support enforcement agency is your best resource to find out if you have income tax return withholdings coming your way.
Warnings
Do not pretend to be someone you are not. Falsely obtaining tax information on another person can result in heavy consequences.
References
- Internal Revenue Service: Topic 203 Refund Offsets: For Unpaid Child Support, And Certain Federal, State and Unemployment Compensation Debts
- U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Service, Administration for Child & Families: Child Support Enforcement by State
- Internal Revenue Service: Where's My Refund - It's Quick, Easy and Secure
- Financial Management Service: Tax Refund Offset
- Department of Justice. "Citizen's Guide to the U.S. Federal Law on Child Support Enforcement." Accessed Jan. 29, 2020.
- Office of Child Support Enforcement. "Child Support Handbook: Chapter 5 - Collecting Support," Page 1. Accessed Jan. 29, 2020.
- Office of Child Support Enforcement. "Multistate Financial Institution Data Match Specifications Handbook," Page 1. Accessed Jan. 29, 2020.
- Office of Child Support Enforcement. "Child Support Handbook: Chapter 5 - Collecting Support," Page 2. Accessed Jan. 29, 2020.
- 104th Congress, Session 2. "Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996," Pages 138-148. Accessed Jan. 29, 2020.
- Office of Child Support Enforcement. "Overview of National Directory of New Hires." Accessed Jan. 29, 2020.
Tips
- If you are expecting back child support, your child support enforcement agency is your best resource to find out if you have income tax return withholdings coming your way.
Warnings
- Do not pretend to be someone you are not. Falsely obtaining tax information on another person can result in heavy consequences.
Writer Bio
Kimberly Turtenwald began writing professionally in 2000. She has written content for various websites, including Lights 2 You, Online Consultation, Corpus Personal Injury and more. Turtenwald studied editing and publishing at Wisconsin Lutheran College.