Is your child’s other parent driving a new car and taking regular vacations while claiming they cannot afford to pay support? That gap between lifestyle and reported income is often the first sign of child support fraud, and it is exactly the kind of pattern an experienced attorney knows how to investigate and address.
What Child Support Application Fraud Actually Involves
Child support fraud generally involves a parent knowingly providing false or incomplete financial information to the court or to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue in order to reduce a support obligation. In Massachusetts, every party who submits a Financial Statement to the Probate and Family Court does so under the pains and penalties of perjury. That means a parent who underreports income, hides assets, or fails to disclose additional jobs or business earnings is not simply being uncooperative. They are potentially committing perjury, a serious offense with real legal consequences.
Penalties for Hiding Income
Massachusetts courts and the Department of Revenue treat income concealment seriously. According to the Massachusetts Department of Revenue, the agency actively investigates suspected underreporting using wage matching systems, tax return reviews, and employer verification. When a court finds that a parent deliberately misrepresented their financial situation, it can respond with several remedies:
- Modifying the child support order retroactively to reflect the parent’s actual income
- Holding the parent in contempt of court, which can result in fines or even jail time in serious cases
- Ordering the parent to pay the other party’s attorney’s fees connected to uncovering the fraud
- Referring the matter for potential perjury charges when the false statements were made under oath
Beyond court ordered penalties, the Department of Revenue also has independent enforcement tools available, including wage garnishment, tax refund interception, and license suspension for parents who fall behind on legitimate obligations.
How to Report Suspected Fraud and Why Legal Help Matters
If you suspect the other parent is hiding income, start by gathering concrete documentation, including lifestyle evidence such as major purchases, travel, social media posts, or knowledge of additional income sources. From there, you generally have two paths, and pursuing both together often works best. You can file a formal complaint or request an investigation through the Department of Revenue’s Child Support Enforcement Division, and you can also raise the issue directly with the court through an enforcement motion. Because these cases require connecting financial evidence to a legal standard the court will actually act on, working with an attorney from the outset helps ensure your documentation is presented in a way that actually moves your case forward.
Contact an Attorney About Suspected Child Support Fraud
Anyone who believes a child’s other parent is misrepresenting their income to reduce a support obligation should know that addressing it properly takes both solid evidence and the right legal approach. An experienced Massachusetts family law attorney at the Law Office of Heather M. Ward can help pursue an enforcement action and hold the other parent accountable. Contact our office online or call (617) 903-8955 to discuss what has been observed.