The Family Support Act of 1988 requires that all child-support orders contain an automatic wage-witholding provision. This means that when a divorce is finalized and the child support payment has been agreed upon, the state sends an order to your spouse's employer requiring that a portion of his or her pay be withheld and sent to you. 

If he doesn't have a regular paycheck, the state can order child support withheld from various other sources, such as Social Security, annuities, and other retirement funds. Nevertheless, it's a fact that only about one-third of court-ordered child support payments are ever actually paid. 

If your spouse fails to pay, your first step should be to call your state Child Support Enforcement office. These offices are usually part of your state's Social Services or Human Services Divisions. The telephone numbers for these offices change frequently so call your state's information hot line or check its state web site to get the current number. 

What if your spouse simply vanishes? Your State Child Support Enforcement Agency can attempt to trace him, using its Parent Locator Service. This service will check a wide variety of state records, such as motor vehicle registrations, unemployment insurance, state income tax, and correctional facilities, in an attempt to locate him. 

If you'd like to attempt to trace him on your own, review our How to Locate People section. 

In backgrounding a subject -- especially if it's part of a "premarital investigation" -- it's a good idea to check with your state's Child Support Enforcement office to determine whether he is wanted for failure to pay child support. 

If he is, it can be a serious matter. He is subject to arrest and forfeiture of all or part of his income and/or assets. A woman who marries a man who owes child support may be found jointly liable for his delinquent payments. 

Note that if you are looking for or trying to collect from a deadbeat dad, and have found that your state Child Support Enforcement office has been ineffectual, you can turn to the federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE), which is under the purview of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. OCSE has nationwide search capabilities and is empowered to work with the Internal Revenue Service to enforce child support obligations. 

On the Internet and elsewhere, so-called "child support collection agencies" have been cropping up. Using such agencies is usually not a good idea, say insiders; their effectiveness is questionable and their charges and commissions exorbitant. 

Here are two agencies to contact for help and more information:

National Child Support Enforcement Association 
Hall of the States 
444 N. Capitol St., NW, Ste. 414 
Washington DC 20011 
(202) 624-8180 
www.ncsea.org

Administration for Children and Families
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 
Child Support Enforcement 
370 L'Enfant Promenade S.W. 
Washington DC 20447 
(202) 401-9383 
www.acf.dhhs.gov