What happens if my ex doesn't pay child support in Connecticut?

What Connecticut law requires after a child support order enters

Parents remain responsible for child support according to their respective abilities under C.G.S. § 46b-84. When support is ordered and not paid, the court can enforce the obligation through contempt and other remedies. Connecticut also authorizes income withholding for support under C.G.S. § 52-362, and that withholding can be made effective immediately or triggered by delinquency depending on the case posture. If you are filing a contempt motion, Connecticut Practice Book § 25-27 requires the motion to identify the exact order, the acts that violated it, any arrears claimed, and the specific relief you want the judge to enter.

What to do when the payments stop

Gather the support order, the most recent worksheet or modification order, and a payment ledger showing due dates, amounts, and credits actually received. That evidence matters because support enforcement is often a numbers case before it becomes a credibility case. If there has been a genuine income change, the paying parent should seek modification instead of unilaterally paying less. Linda Douglas, Chief Legal Officer at Untangle, recommends separating current support, past-due support, and reimbursable extras in your records so the court can see exactly what part of the order is unpaid and what proof supports each figure.

What enforcement tools the court can use

The court may find contempt and award attorney's fees under C.G.S. § 46b-87 when nonpayment is proven and the judge concludes the violation was willful. The court may also order or continue income withholding under C.G.S. § 52-362, which directs income from wages or other covered sources toward the support order. Depending on the facts, the judge can set an arrearage payment schedule in addition to ongoing support. The point is not to punish missed paperwork; it is to get support moving again in a form the court can monitor and enforce.

Practical points that protect your position

Do not trade away enforcement by making casual side deals you cannot later prove, and do not link support to visitation because Connecticut treats them as separate obligations. If you accept a partial payment, record it as a partial payment rather than treating it as a quiet rewrite of the order. Linda Douglas, Chief Legal Officer at Untangle, recommends updating your arrearage total every time money comes in or a hearing is continued, because stale numbers create avoidable disputes and make settlement talks less reliable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can my ex stop paying because they lost a job?

Not automatically. A job loss may support a motion to modify, but the existing order remains in force until the court changes it. If the paying parent simply sends less or stops altogether, the missed amounts can still become arrears and may support contempt or income-withholding relief depending on the facts and proof presented.

Can Connecticut take child support directly from wages?

Yes. C.G.S. § 52-362 authorizes income withholding to enforce support orders. In some cases it is immediate, and in others it becomes active after delinquency or as part of an enforcement proceeding. Wage withholding is one of the most common ways the court turns an unpaid order back into regular payments.

Will the court make my ex pay my attorney's fees?

It can. If the court finds contempt, C.G.S. § 46b-87 allows the judge to award reasonable attorney's fees and service costs. That remedy is discretionary, but it exists because the parent seeking support should not automatically bear the full cost of chasing an order that was already entered.