Missouri's child support income withholding system has a frustrating gap that can leave families waiting weeks for support every time the paying parent changes jobs. When a parent already has an active withholding order and changes employers, the withholding process has to catch up to the new job. I was recently told by the Missouri Child Support Enforcement office that this takes six weeks. 

Six weeks is a long time when a family depends on that support. For a single parent or household already living paycheck to paycheck, going six weeks without expected child support can mean struggling to pay for groceries, rent, utilities, childcare, transportation, school expenses, and other basic needs. Child support is not extra spending money. It is money intended to help provide for children. 

Even more frustrating is what happens when someone changes jobs again before the new withholding process is completed. The process starts all over with another six weeks without payments, while unpaid support continues to accumulate. 

Why I started this petition: I'm experiencing this firsthand. My children's other parent currently owes more than $16,000 in unpaid child support. After waiting six weeks for income withholding to begin through his employer, I learned that he had changed jobs 2 days before the six week mark, and now the process would have to start again with the new employer - meaning another six week delay. I'm fortunate enough to be able to continue providing for my children, but I couldn't help but think about the parent who can't. What happens to the mom or dad who is counting on that support to buy groceries, pay rent, keep the lights on, or afford childcare? Six weeks can be devastating for a family already struggling. That's when I realized this is bigger than just my situation. Families shouldn't repeatedly lose weeks of support simply because the paying parent changes employers. 

People change jobs for legitimate reasons every day. This petition is not asking Missouri to punish anyone simply for changing employment. We are asking Missouri lawmakers to shorten and expedite the existing income-withholding process for parents who already have an active child support withholding order, so that changing employers does not result in weeks of unnecessary interruption in support. 

Missouri should also examine whether additional safeguards are needed when repeated employment changes continually interrupt income withholding and prevent consistent collection of court ordered support. 

A child support order should follow the parent, not the employer. 

Custodial parents and children should not have to wait another six weeks every time a parent changes jobs.