There are a number of areas that your wage is applied each week – food, rent, bills, and entertainment, and, if required, you may also need to pay child support from your weekly income. Child support is something that cannot be negotiated, and if you simply “forget” to pay, you could face serious repercussions. However, what happens if you are injured on the job and are therefore not making any income? You are still required to pay child support, but how can this be possible without workers’ comp benefits?
The good news is that, through workers’ compensation, you will still be able to pay your child support. However, you may be looking at less each month than before. Child support is normally taken on an individual’s gross income. Workers’ compensation benefits will usually pay for lost wages, but this is usually not your full paycheck each week. Rather, it is 75% of it. Thus, your child support payments may be less during the time that you are off on workers’ compensation.
Just because you are injured doesn’t mean you can abandon your legal requirements to pay child support. What you need to do is speak to a workers’ compensation attorney about modifying the payments during this time. How much you are required to pay will all depend on the type of benefits you are on such as:
- Temporary Total Disability (TTD) benefits
- Temporary Partial Disability (TPD) benefits
- Permanent Total Disability (PTD) benefits
In some instances, the amount of child support may be suspended for a certain period of time, depending on the personal injury or illness. Speaking to a Minnesota workers’ compensation attorney about your benefits and child support is the best way to ensure you are keeping up with your legal responsibilities to your children.
What If I Owe Past-Due Child Support Payments?
If you owe past child support payments, then you could be looking at a whole separate issue. There are instances where you may have to give up a certain amount of your settlement or workers’ compensation benefits in order to pay for the child support that is outstanding. This can make it difficult for you to move on, recover, and live. Again, this will depend on the type of disability you are on and whether you have outstanding child support payments to be made.
There is enough tension and confusion surrounding workers’ compensation benefits without complicating the equation with child support issues. Finding that balance between ensuring you receive the workers’ compensation benefits to which you are entitled, while assuring you are meeting your child support obligations, can be difficult. If you are confused about what this injury means for you, then don’t hesitate to call our legal support team for help.
Minnesota Workers’ Compensation Attorney
Failure to pay child support is a serious issue but there are many complications surrounding a work related injury and your required child support payments. It is best to speak to someone who understands the legal requirements and can help you do the right thing. If you have a work-related injury or illness and are confused about your compensation benefits and how this impacts your child support payment, call or text the workers’ comp lawyers at 612-INJURED at(612) 465-8733to speak to a Minneapolis workers comp attorney free of charge.
