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Child Support ( arrears ) Unpaid Taxes ( Ten Years ) etc.
Well I guess it was bound to happen.
I have been served with a Summonds to appear in court to explain why I haven't finnished paying My Child Support, I have tryed It was 59.000.00
I got it down to 14.597.00.
A lot has happen and I wont bore you with the details or make you cry.
Everything has just piled up.
Unpaid Taxes (unknown amount)
Cable 600.00
Phone 300.00 etc.
I just don't know how to start or where to turn.
Any suggestions I need advice.!!
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Want to answer more questions in the Relationships category?
Maybe give some free advice about: Families?
PAY YOUR CHILD SUPPORT!!!! Look, you don't want to go to jail and you don't want your futre child viewing you as a dead beat! I know it is going to hurt but you have to forget about your cable and phone bill. Get one of those cheap pay as you use phones so the courts can get in touch with you. I'm not just some guy saying you should pay by any means for the love of your child, although that is a damn good reason, butjust in case I didn't say this before; YOU WILL GO TO JAIL!! The courts don't care about your sob story because the hear hundreds of the same stories everyday. Suck it up, pay it off and then start to rebuild your finacial life. As far as the unpaid taxes go, because you do need a place to live, send the bare minimum amount of what you can afford to pay. That'll keep them happy until you are able to send more. So remember these two sentences: PAY YOUR CHILD SUPPORT!!! and YOU WILL GO TO JAIL!! You'll be ok. Believe it or not, it gets better :-).
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First, see a lawyer. If this is a civil suit, you may be able to find a lawyer who does pro bono work. If it's coming from the state or the province and you cannot afford an attorney're in debt that badly, the court may appoint one for you.
1) Get some paper. On the first sheet, write down the total amount of everything you owe, to everybody. This includes the outstanding balance on a car loan if you have one, credit card debt, the child support, and especially the unpaid taxes. It is very scary but you have to know where you stand before you talk to the judge. Add up the total debt at the bottom.
2) On the second sheet of paper, write down the regular payments you're committed to that must (ideally) be paid every month. This includes utilities, rent or mortgage, food, child support payments, vehicle payments if you have them, and the minimum payment on your credit cards. Add up the total monthly expenses at the bottom. This is your outbound cash flow.
3) On the third sheet of paper, list your income every month from all different sources: wages, overtime, extra cash for helping a buddy move, that sort of thing. Add all this up. This is your inbound cash flow.
4) Manage your cash flow. If the amount on sheet #2 is bigger than what's on sheet #3, you need to cut your expenses. Get rid of all the regular payments you don't need: lose the cable, give back the cellular phone, quit smoking if you smoke, and buy food from the grocery store instead of getting take-out (if you usually eat at restaurants. Increase your inbound cash flow by signing up for extra overtime or get an extra part-time job, start your own business on weekends cleaning windows, painting fences, walking dogs, or mowing lawns if that's what it takes. Get your income up over your expenses, or bring your expenses down underneath your income. Write down all the things you do to make this possible: canceling your gym membership, taking the bus to work, etc. Do this before you go talk to the judge.
5) Manage your debt. The first step is to stop generating any more. Cut up the credit cards and don't get any new ones. If you've just bought something you don't need, take it back. Have a yard sale or garage sale and sell off old clothes, old CDs, old books, and things you no longer need or want. You may not get full market value for them but you may be able to make enough to pay off your phone bill. If your car's a junker and it's physically possible to get to work on the bus, sell your car so you don't have to pay for insurance or gas any more. You can always get another car later. Write down everything you sell or get rid of and show how you put the money toward paying off debts. Keep this paper.
6) If you followed step #4 properly you will have a little bit left over after your monthly bills are paid to put toward such debt as you have. It is right and proper to put some of this toward child support although some of the rest has to go to your other bills too. Write down a plan for how to split this money out among your different debts. Start actually doing this so that you can show how the debt is going down.
7) Take papers 1 through 6 to the judge and explain what you're doing to solve the problem. The judge will be impressed and may offer you a few tips.
If none of this works or if your debt and interest payments are so high that you're unable to complete step #4, you may have to consider filing for bankruptcy protection because you're sinking deeper in debt no matter what you do. But try steps 1 through 4 first before talking to a bankruptcy lawyer because it's always best to fix it yourself if you can.
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