Falling behind on child support can affect more than the amount you owe. In Arizona, unpaid support can lead to actions that affect your driver’s license or other licenses. For someone who needs to drive to work, losing a license can create another problem while trying to catch up on payments.
When can Arizona suspend a license?
Arizona law permits the Arizona Department of Economic Security, through its child support enforcement program, to begin a license-enforcement process when a parent falls substantially behind on court-ordered support. For a driver or recreational license, the matter may go to court after required notice.
For a driver’s or recreational license, the law generally requires six months or more of unpaid court-ordered support, proper notice and a court finding that the parent deliberately failed to make the required payments. Reaching six months of unpaid support does not, by itself, result in an automatic suspension.
Professional and occupational licenses follow a different process. The notice should explain the alleged noncompliance and the available ways to respond. Depending on the license, the process may involve a court proceeding or an administrative hearing. For professional and occupational licenses, a person generally has 14 days after the determination of noncompliance to request an administrative hearing.
What happens after a suspension?
A suspension can affect your ability to drive legally and may make getting to work or school harder. Depending on your license and case, several options or requirements may apply:
- Payment plans: An approved or court-ordered plan may help address unpaid support.
- Court review: You may seek a review hearing after complying with the support order or a court-ordered arrears plan.
- Certificate of compliance: A court may issue this certificate after finding that you complied with the order or payment plan.
- Reinstatement: You may apply for reinstatement and pay applicable fees after receiving the certificate.
- Limited driving: A court may restrict a noncommercial driver’s license instead of fully suspending it when specific legal conditions apply.
A limited license is not available simply because losing your license creates a hardship. Conditions can include working at least 30 hours each week, having qualifying work or school more than one mile from home and entering a DES payment plan for the arrears.
Legal assistance can help you review the support order, arrears and enforcement process to determine which options may apply to your case.
Keeping your license in motion
Unpaid child support can lead to consequences beyond a growing balance. Knowing how Arizona handles license enforcement can help you recognize what may happen when payments fall behind.