How Massachusetts Collects Unpaid Child Support: Liens, License Suspension and Passport Denial
If you don’t pay child support in Massachusetts, each missed installment is a judgment and a lien, DOR can seize benefits and accounts and certify license suspension after a 30-day notice and hearing window, and arrears over $2,500 can affect a passport.
What happens if you don’t pay child support in Massachusetts?
The IV-D agency is authorized to use a long list of collection tools, including notifying employers of income withholding, tax refund intercepts, federal administrative offset, passport denial, credit reporting, contempt proceedings, liens, levies and seizure, trustee process and any other remedy for enforcing judgments (G.L. c. 119A, s. 6(a)). A court can enforce too, and each installment is already a judgment (s. 13(a)).
Can Massachusetts take money from my accounts or benefits?
Where there is an arrearage, the IV-D agency may secure assets by intercepting or seizing periodic or lump-sum payments from any state or local agency, including unemployment compensation, workers’ compensation and other benefits not otherwise exempt, judgments, settlements and lotteries; attach assets in financial institutions; and attach public and private pension or retirement funds (s. 6(a)), subject to administrative and judicial review.
Is there a lien?
Yes. An unpaid obligation is a lien in favor of the obligee as of the date it was due, for an amount sufficient to satisfy the unpaid support, including support that accrues in the future; once recorded or registered it encumbers real and personal property and interests in property (s. 6(b)(1)).
Can you lose a license for unpaid child support in Massachusetts?
Yes. A license includes professional, trade, business and occupational licenses, recreational and sporting licenses, a driver’s license and motor vehicle registration. The IV-D agency may notify an obligor with an arrearage subject to a lien that unless he requests a hearing within 30 days of the notice it may issue a final determination of delinquency and tell the licensing authority to suspend, revoke or refuse to issue or renew the license (s. 16(a)-(b)).
What can I argue at the hearing?
You must establish that no child support arrearage exists, that you are not the person who owes it, or that you are complying with a payment plan approved by the IV-D agency (s. 16(c)). If you sign a payment plan and then fail to follow it without requesting a hearing, the agency may issue the determination (s. 16(d)).
Can Massachusetts garnish wages?
Support orders are enforced by income withholding, and federal law sets the outer limits: 50% or 60%, and 55% or 65% for support more than 12 weeks overdue (15 U.S.C. 1673(b)).
| If the person | Limit | If support is more than 12 weeks overdue |
|---|---|---|
| Supporting a spouse or another child | 50% | 55% |
| Not supporting a spouse or another child | 60% | 65% |
What about passports?
If a state agency certifies that a person owes child support arrearages of more than $2,500, federal law requires refusal of a passport (42 U.S.C. 652(k)). The Massachusetts arrears calculator warns when the unpaid principal passes that figure.
What should you do if you owe?
Respond to every notice inside its 30-day window, ask DOR for a payment plan, add up the balance in the Massachusetts child support arrears calculator and, if your circumstances changed, file a complaint for modification right away.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if you don’t pay child support in Massachusetts?
DOR can use income withholding, tax intercepts, liens, benefit and bank seizures, license suspension and passport denial, and a court can use contempt.
How much of my paycheck can Massachusetts take for child support?
Federal law limits it to 50% or 60% of disposable earnings, and 55% or 65% for support more than 12 weeks overdue.
How long do I have to respond to a Massachusetts license notice?
Thirty days from the date of the notice to request a hearing.
Can Massachusetts seize my unemployment benefits for child support?
Where there is an arrearage the IV-D agency may intercept unemployment compensation and other non-exempt benefits.
When can the passport of a Massachusetts parent who owes child support be denied?
When arrears above $2,500 are certified under federal law.
Official sources
- G.L. c. 119A, s. 13: judgment by operation of law; retroactive modification
- G.L. c. 119A, s. 6: arrearages; collection; liens; interest and penalties by regulation
- G.L. c. 119A, s. 16: license revocation and suspension
- DOR: Information for parents who pay child support
- G.L. c. 208, s. 36: security and enforcement
- 15 U.S.C. 1673: restriction on garnishment
- 42 U.S.C. 652(k): denial of passports
A local family law attorney can review your situation — many offer a free consultation.
This is general information, not legal advice. It is based on the cited Massachusetts statutes, rules and court opinions, and every case turns on its own facts. Confirm how the law applies to your situation with a licensed Massachusetts attorney.