Collect Unpaid Child Support With No Up-Front Cost

Why Hire Our Firm to Collect Unpaid Child Support?

For more than 15 years, Fair Price Lawyers has helped parents recover unpaid child support and alimony. Collecting support can be difficult, especially when the other parent refuses to cooperate, changes jobs frequently, moves out of state, or attempts to hide assets.

Government child support agencies do important work, but they have limited resources and cannot pursue every case aggressively. We focus specifically on enforcing support orders and recovering unpaid support. We have extensive experience locating obligors, identifying collection opportunities, and pursuing legal remedies to recover the money our clients are owed.

If you are owed unpaid support, complete our free eligibility review today to find out whether we can help.

What Do We Charge to Collect Unpaid Child Support?

Our fee structure is simple: We don't get paid unless we collect support for you. There are no up-front attorney fees, intake fees, processing fees, or retainers for qualifying collection cases. If we successfully recover support, our fee is 40% of the amount collected, and you keep 60%.Most clients agree that receiving 60% of money that would otherwise go uncollected is far better than receiving nothing at all.

How We Collect Unpaid Child Support

Fair Price Lawyers aggressively pursues unpaid child support and alimony using every available legal enforcement tool, including:

Using advanced investigative resources and asset-location tools, we conduct nationwide searches to identify the employment, income, assets, and property of the person who owes support. Whether the obligor lives in Utah or another state, we work to locate available sources of recovery and enforce your support order wherever the law allows.

When Will I Start Receiving Money?

Every case is different. The timeline depends on many factors, including:

• How long it takes to locate the obligor;
• Whether the obligor is employed;
• Whether assets are available for collection;
• Whether the obligor owns real estate, retirement accounts, or other property; and
• Whether court action is necessary.

In most cases, we're able to start collecting support for our client within a few months. Other cases require more extensive investigation and enforcement efforts. If we accept your case, we will keep you informed throughout the process and provide regular updates on our progress.

How Do I Get Started?

Getting started is easy.

Step 1: Complete our Free Case Review form (takes about 60 seconds).

Step 2: If your case qualifies, we'll contact you to discuss your options.

Step 3: Sign our child support collection agreement electronically.

Step 4: We get to work collecting the support you are owed.

No up-front fees. No obligation. No risk.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Are We Different from ORS?

Government agencies such as Utah's Office of Recovery Services (ORS) primarily manage large numbers of child support cases and often focus on ongoing support collection.

Our practice focuses on difficult collection matters involving substantial arrears, including cases where the obligor has stopped paying, changed employment, moved out of state, or otherwise avoided their support obligations.

Many of our clients come to us after years of frustration with unsuccessful collection efforts. If you've hit a dead end trying to collect the support you're owed, give Fair Price Lawyers a try. Our eligibility review is free, and there are no up-front costs for our services.

Can We Collect Unpaid Alimony Too?

Yes. Although most of our cases involve child support enforcement, we also pursue collection of unpaid alimony (spousal support). Many of the same enforcement tools used to collect child support can also be used to collect alimony arrears.

My Children Are Over 18. Can You Help?

Yes. In fact, these can be some of the strongest collection cases because the obligor has often had years to increase income, accumulate assets, purchase real estate, or contribute to retirement accounts. The fact that a child has reached adulthood does not eliminate existing support arrears.

Can I Hire You If I Already Have an ORS Case?

Yes. You have the right to have a private attorney collect your support even if you are currently receiving assistance from ORS or another government child support agency. In most cases, your government case can remain open while we pursue additional collection efforts. We regularly work alongside government agencies to maximize collection opportunities for our clients.

What If ORS Closed My Case?

You may still be owed support. When a government agency closes a case, it simply means that the agency is no longer actively pursuing collection. It does not necessarily mean that the support debt has been paid. We regularly review previously closed cases to determine whether additional collection opportunities exist.

How Do I Know How Much Support Is Owed?

If we accept your case, we will review the relevant court orders and payment history to determine:

• The amount of support ordered;
• The amount paid;
• The amount unpaid; and
• Any applicable interest.

We will then determine the total arrears balance and discuss available collection options.

You may also contact Utah's Office of Recovery Services (ORS), which can provide you with a detailed accounting of any unpaid child support and accrued arrears.

Do I Need a Copy of My Court Order?

No. If we accept your case, we can generally obtain the necessary court records ourselves. In most situations, we can access the court file directly and obtain copies of the relevant orders.

If you do want to obtain a copy of your child support order before hiring an attorney, you can create an account on the Utah District Court's MyCase website and download a copy of your order.

Will I Have to Go to Court?

Usually not. Most clients never appear in court. Because you already have a support order, many enforcement options can be pursued without requiring you to attend hearings. If court action becomes necessary, we will explain the process and appear on your behalf.

Can We Collect Unpaid Child Support From Another State?

Through the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA), child support orders can often be enforced across state lines without the need to start a new court case in the state where the obligor lives or works. In many situations, we can send an income withholding order directly to an out-of-state employer and begin wage garnishment based on your existing support order. This allows us to pursue unpaid child support even when the other parent has moved to another state. Whether the obligor lives in Utah or elsewhere in the United States, we use available interstate enforcement tools to locate employment, garnish wages, and recover the support you are owed.

Can We Collect Unpaid Child Support From Retirement Accounts?

In many cases, yes. Although retirement accounts are often protected from ordinary creditors, special exceptions may allow child support arrears to be collected from certain retirement assets. Depending on the type of account involved, it may be possible to pursue collection from a 401(k), pension, profit-sharing plan, or other qualified retirement plan through a court order. Retirement accounts can be particularly valuable collection targets in cases where the obligor is unemployed, self-employed, retired, or has few other reachable assets.

Every retirement plan is different, and the rules governing collection can be complex. If we accept your case, we will investigate whether the person who owes support has retirement assets and determine what collection options may be available. In some cases, retirement accounts can provide a significant source of recovery for long-overdue child support or alimony arrears that might otherwise remain unpaid.

Can We Collect Child Support After a Child Turns 18?

Yes. A child's eighteenth birthday does not eliminate unpaid child support that accrued before the child became an adult. Once child support becomes due and remains unpaid, it generally becomes a debt owed by the obligor. As a result, support arrears can often be collected long after a child reaches adulthood.

In fact, some of the strongest collection cases involve adult children. By the time a child turns 18, the person who owes support may have had years to increase their income, accumulate savings, purchase real estate, contribute to retirement accounts, or acquire other assets that can potentially be used to satisfy the debt. In many cases, collection efforts become easier—not harder—as time passes.

If you are owed unpaid child support, do not assume it is too late to collect. We can review your support order, payment history, and the applicable law to determine whether collection options remain available and what steps can be taken to recover the support you are owed.

What Assets Can Be Used to Collect Unpaid Child Support?

The assets available for collection depend on the facts of each case, but unpaid child support and alimony can often be recovered from a variety of income sources and property. We investigate the obligor's financial circumstances and pursue all available legal remedies to maximize recovery.

Wages. One of the most effective collection tools is wage garnishment. If the obligor is employed, we may be able to garnish a portion of their paycheck and have support payments sent directly toward the arrears balance.

Bank Accounts. Funds held in checking, savings, and other financial accounts may be subject to levy or garnishment. Identifying and reaching available cash assets can sometimes result in substantial recoveries.

Retirement Accounts. Certain retirement assets, including some 401(k) plans, pensions, and other qualified retirement accounts, may be available to satisfy child support arrears. Special legal rules often apply, and retirement accounts can be an important source of recovery in the right case.

Vehicles and Personal Property. Cars, trucks, recreational vehicles, and other valuable personal property may sometimes be seized, attached, or otherwise used to satisfy unpaid support obligations.

Real Estate. Homes, rental properties, vacant land, and other real property can be valuable collection targets. In appropriate cases, support liens may be recorded against real estate, and additional legal remedies may be available to recover unpaid support from property ownership.

Using investigative resources and asset-location tools, we work to identify employment, income, bank accounts, retirement assets, vehicles, real estate, and other sources of recovery. Whether the obligor lives in Utah or another state, we aggressively pursue available collection opportunities to recover the support our clients are owed.