Parents who do not have custody of their children and who live separately from them will typically be ordered by the Minnesota court to pay child support. If you are a parent paying support, you may be concerned about what happens if you lose your job. If you have no income, what happens to your child support obligation?
The Spruce explains that regardless of your income, you must honor the child support order of the court. The court ordered you to pay this money to help support your child. Think of it this way: if you and the child’s mother were still together, you would still have to figure out how to buy food, pay rent and handle all the other day-to-day expenses. The same is true now. You still have to support your child, so if you fail to pay your support, it becomes a debt.
It is not wise to ignore your responsibility or even try to talk to the child’s other parent to work out a deal. Both can get you into deeper debt with the state who monitors child support payments. The state will not forgive your debt and will not honor agreements made outside of court. This is why you must go to court to try to get a modification.
It is important to note the court is not likely to forgive your obligation. It may lower it based on your current income, but you will still be required to pay something. This information is only intended to educate and should not be interpreted as legal advice.