My Child’s Parent Gets Paid in Cash and Hides Money. How Can I Go After Him for Child Support?

Child support is an essential source of funds for children. How much a parent pays depends heavily on how much a parent makes and their ability to pay. But what happens if a parent lies about their income and hides cash payments from their work?

The answer is that the calculation for child support payments will not be accurate, and the child will not receive the money they deserve. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to force a cash-hiding parent to provide a full accounting of their cash income and pay what they owe. A seasoned child support attorney can help.

If your child’s parent is hiding cash income, they are likely guilty of child support fraud and may face a variety of financial and legal consequences, including:

• Payment of back child support
• Payment of retroactive child support
• Fines
• Jail time

In some cases, communicating these consequences to a parent who is hiding money is enough for them to come clean and update their finances with the court. However, oftentimes the offender already knows the consequences or simply does not care and continues to deny the cash’s existence.

If this is happening to you, seek the services of an experienced child support lawyer to help you track down the hidden cash and compel the child’s parent to pay.

Evidence of Unreported Income

One of the first things your attorney will do is seek evidence of unreported income. In many cases, this requires them to consult with a forensic accountant. A forensic accountant is a professional who can analyze financial records to determine the existence of hidden cash and assets. Some of the documents they typically review include:

• Tax returns
• Bank account statements
• Brokerage and retirement account statements
• Credit card statements

Business records, if applicable, may also provide clues to the existence and location of hidden cash. Business loans and newly purchased equipment could indicate clandestine cash and cash transactions.

In addition to a forensic accountant, your child custody attorney may also hire a private investigator to locate hidden cash. Evidence that might alert them to unreported money includes:

• Fancy restaurant bills
• Vacations
• Expensive purchases
• Jewelry purchases
• Nights out at hotels

Your attorney can also subpoena and take depositions from people who may know of cash and cash transactions made by your child’s other parent. These individuals may include:

• Bank employees
• Friends
• Family members
• Work colleagues
• Bosses
• Clients

Once your family law attorney has the evidence they need, they will compel the parent to respond to allegations of hiding cash and pay what they owe.

Contact Us if You Need Child Support But Your C0-Psrent is Hiding Their Money

Raising a child is costly and time-consuming. If your child’s other parent is potentially hiding cash income to avoid or reduce their child support payments, you deserve to know and receive the payments your child deserves. Call our office today for a free consultation with a child support lawyer who is ready to fight for you.