Parents in New York who owe $15,000 or more in past-due child support now face the prospect of losing their U.S. passports, after federal officials began a new phase of enforcement on October 5. The change, reported by the San Juan Daily Star, marks the sixth time the threshold has dropped since May, when the State Department started proactively revoking passports of parents owing $100,000 or more, according to PBS NewsHour. The underlying 1996 federal law applies to anyone owing more than $2,500, and officials have said enforcement will continue to expand toward that figure.
The implications are significant for parents in Rockland County and across New York, particularly those who travel abroad for work or to visit family. As Kantrowitz, Goldhamer, Graifman, Perlmutter & Carballo, P.C. notes, the lowered threshold leaves far more parents exposed. The firm's child support lawyer in New City, NY represents parents on all sides of support orders, from initial calculations through modification and enforcement.
For parents who fall behind, the consequences can be severe. Under New York Family Court Act § 451, a court cannot reduce support that accrued before a parent filed a petition to modify the order. A parent who lost a job last year and never filed still owes every payment missed since. A change in circumstances may justify a new order, but only if the parent takes action. New York generally allows a modification after a substantial change in circumstances, after three years have passed, or when either parent's income has changed by 15% or more. Even paying the balance does not restore travel rights immediately; once arrears are resolved, a parent must apply for a new passport after payment is confirmed, so trips planned on short notice may be lost.
"Most parents who fall behind on child support aren't trying to dodge it. They lost income and assumed the order would adjust on its own," said Paul Goldhamer, founding partner of the firm. "It's important to understand that the order stands until a court changes it, so the time to act is as soon as your finances change."
Goldhamer has spent four decades focused on matrimonial law, guiding clients through divorce, child support, custody, alimony, and property settlement. The firm's broader practice includes personal injury, national class action, employment, estate, and commercial real estate matters. For parents with a support question, the firm can be reached by phone or through its website.
