If the parent who is ordered to pay child support doesn't pay, the other parent can file a complaint for contempt against that parent.
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- This page, Request overdue child support payments, is offered by
- Probate and Family Court
- Massachusetts Court System
Request overdue child support payments
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Probate and Family Court locations
The Details of Request overdue child support payments
What you need for Request overdue child support payments
Using the Instructions for a Complaint for Contempt, file the Complaint for Contempt (CJD 103) form.
How to request Request overdue child support payments
File the form in person at the Probate and Family Court where the original child support order was made.
Mail your form to the Probate and Family Court where the original child support order was made.
Next steps for Request overdue child support payments
Go to the complaint hearing
After you file a complaint for contempt, you'll receive a contempt summons with a hearing date for a hearing on the complaint you filed. See Service of Process for instructions on how to serve court papers on the other parent. The Department of Revenue (DOR) will file the complaint and serve it if you are receiving Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) or if you make a written request for their services.
At the contempt hearing, the judge will review what the current order for child support is, listen to what the parties say, and consider the information on the parties’ financial statements. The judge then decides whether the defendant parent has failed to follow the court order and is in contempt, and how much is owed and how it will be paid. In certain circumstances, the judge has the authority to sentence the defendant to jail.