Child Support Arrears Calculator
Calculate accrued past-due child support balances, record partial payments, and estimate workable monthly arrears repayment installments.
Past-Due Arrears Calculation
Arrears Balance Summary
Legal Framework & Guidelines
Understanding Child Support Arrears
Child support arrears represent unpaid child support obligations that have vested as legal money judgments. Under the federal Bradley Amendment (42 U.S.C. ยง 666(a)(9)), child support payments cannot be retroactively reduced or forgiven by any court once they become due.
Unpaid arrears trigger enforcement actions, including wage garnishment, driver's license suspensions, passport denials, tax refund intercepts, and property liens.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a judge forgive back child support arrears?
No. Under federal law (the Bradley Amendment), courts lack legal authority to retroactively forgive or erase child support arrears that have already vested, even if custody changed informally.
What happens if I make a partial payment on child support?
Payments are applied first to current month support, then to principal arrears, and finally to accrued statutory interest.