Ending Child Support and Arrearages Still Due

#1 06-01-2009, 09:51 AM

Hello. Both of my children have now reached the age that I can legally end my child support obligation. I do still owe an arrearage from some years ago, and have been paying $50 a month towards that, in addition to my regular child support.

I plan to petition the courts very soon to end my child support obligations, and was wondering how the arrearages will be handled. I certainly feel my ex is owed this money, and do not want to imply that I don't want to pay her. I am simply wondering if she can sue me for an increased arrearage payment, or if it will remain at $50 per month.

Thank you in advance for your assistance with this matter.

underdog · #2 06-01-2009, 10:48 AM

You will be expected to pay any arrears

#3 06-01-2009, 01:17 PM

I certainly expect to pay my arrears, I am just concerned about the terms of the repayment. As it is now, I live paycheck to paycheck, and more often than not, that isn't enough. I am more than willing to continue paying her the same amount, or even increasing the amount of my payment towards the arrearage. My concern is that she may pursue a greater payment that is even more than what I am now paying in child support, and I would be unable to pay. We have a fairly good relationship, and I do not believe she would do that, however I want to protect myself and my new family. I have been unable to find any guidelines or fee schedules regarding repayment of arrearages. Is this something that is just agreed to between the parties? Will the courts get involved and mandate a set amount?

underdog · #4 06-01-2009, 01:37 PM

Probably. What you two should do is come to an agreement of a fair amount of support. Then take this agreement to court with you

moderator · #5 06-01-2009, 05:04 PM

Once you end child support, if you do not agree to a set amount to repay the arrearages, the court will get involved. Have you browsed through the information in LawInfo's Free Legal Resource Center to learn more about your issue yet? See: http://www.lawinfo.com/consumer.html. You can certainly try to speak to a lawyer to determine what legal options may be available. In the meantime, you may be able to learn more on your own. Search the "Free Legal Resources" tab, or browse the Consumer Resources. Good luck.

See also: http://resources.lawinfo.com/Search....teName:Alabama

#6 06-13-2009, 01:43 AM

There's a really great download with links at It's the one for last Sat. & the Sat. before that. There are a whole lot of laws being broken by the family courts through either negligence or malice. Another good place to look at is

We're going through the same thing.