Taxation & Estate Planning

Tax Authorities get Tough on Delinquent Parents

By Darrin Mish

Delinquent parents?  Yes, that?s right.  The shoe is on the other foot for once.  Delinquent parents are those who have not been paying child support to their children.  The IRS and some other parties in authority are viewing this matter with utmost seriousness.

While most people who are liable to pay child support have their paychecks deducted for the amount monthly, certain categories of workers are not subject to such rules.  Among these are the unemployed, those who run their own businesses and those who travel frequently for one reason or other.  These ones pay in an ad hoc manner meaning there is a much higher chance of delinquency in payments.

One way in which the IRS is dealing with the matter is diverting the tax refunds of these delinquent parents to the family court.  This is done by the Department of Treasury?s Financial Management Services (FMS), which is the department in charge of issuing tax refunds.  Once your tax refund is channeled to the family court, there is little chance of getting it back.  However, if the amount of your child support is lower than your total refund, then you are entitled to the difference.  But other than that, the money?s gone and rightfully so.

In fact, some other authorities have taken this matter even a step further.  Lexington County in South Carolina has had its Sheriff?s office personnel target those who failed to pay child support and place them under arrest.  Sheriff James Metts and his deputies have been actively on the hunt for these delinquent parents.  One such individual was Bryan Patrick Tarlton who was tracked all the way to Florida when the Sheriff?s men finally caught up with him.  Arising from his arrest, his ex-wife Antonia Stoewhaas began receiving child support again after 8 long years.

Last year, Lexington County managed to trace more than 200 delinquent parents and retrieve $3.2 million in unpaid child support.

You might be one of those delinquent parents, perhaps through no fault of yours.  If that be the case, it is wise to discuss with the family court and come up with a payment plan.  This could well prevent your tax refund from being diverted or some other drastic measures being taken like a tax lien put on your property or your passport being impounded especially if you are behind on your payments by a month or more.

If you need tax advice pertaining to child support or any other matter, do call us at (813) 229 7100 or toll free (888) 438 6474 for a free consultation.

Darrin T. Mish is a veteran, nationally recognized tax attorney who has focused on providing IRS help to taxpayers for over a decade. He regularly travels the country training other attorneys, CPAs and enrolled agents on how to handle their toughest cases with the IRS. He is highly ranked among the top attorneys in the country, with an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell and a perfect 10 on Avvo.com. Martindale-Hubbell has also honored him with a listing in their Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers. He is a member of the American Society of IRS Problem Solvers and the Tax Freedom Institute. With clients on every continent but Antarctica, he has what it takes to solve your IRS problems no matter where you live in the world. If you would like more information about his practice and how he can help you, please call his office at (813) 229-7100 or toll free at 1-888-GET-MISH.

Tax Authorities get Tough on Delinquent Parents is a post from: IRS Tax Problem Solver Blog - IRS Help

Full post as published by IRS Problem Solver Blog on April 22, 2010 (boomark / email).