Many spouses feel that the best way to make child support payments is through the Support Collection Unit (SCU). The SCU is a service unit run by the government that not only aids in the collection and distribution of support payments, but also keeps computerized records of said payments, which leads to fewer disputes over whether or not a payment has been made, how much was paid, and if there are outstanding balances that need to be resolved.
The SCU can also assist in making sure that past due payments are paid by the supporting party, because they are a branch of the Office of Child Support Enforcement, and therefore have a certain leverage that a parent alone does not have.
Just as the court is able to “influence” a non-paying spouse to make payments via punishments, the SCU has the same power. Actions such as wage cuts and other income penalties are often used in order to get non-paying spouses to shape up.
Sometimes, the court does not automatically assign the payments to be made/received through the SCU. In that case, you would have to file a petition in Family Court to get a modification to the divorce judgment, which typically outlines how the child support payments will be made. Luckily, getting this change doesn’t require you to prove anything in court (unlike when you apply to have the amount changed).
Moreover, when you pay through the SCU, all of it is on record, so there is never a question of whether or not you made a payment. And when you receive through the SCU, you can be assured that if there are any problems, you have a government agency to help you rectify the issues.
If you need legal assistance regarding child custody and child support in New York, call 212-826-9900 to speak to an experienced family attorney. Paul E Rudder, Esq. has years of experience handling all types of child support and other family issues.