Child Support: A Reminder to Pay Through the County Clerk

Thanks to Divorce Law Journal's post, More Family Law Blogs for leading me to The Dangers of Cash Child Support Payments on Houston Divorce Lawyer & Attorney Blog. I have mentioned this before (How Informal Agreements May Get You Into Prison) but I do think this paragraph does a great job of discussing the problem:

It is hard to say “No” when the custodial parent requests or demands child support money on the spot (often in the presence of the child) to buy him/her a new pair of soccer cleats, a cheerleading uniform, etc. However, to keep yourself on track with the SDU, just say NO – unless you’re okay with never getting credit for the payment.

Indiana does not have this SDU but we do have County Clerks and they have what we call a support docket. The support docket exists as the official record of your child support payments. Paying directly means the official record shows no payment of support.