• When a couple with children splits, the state of North Carolina mandates that the non-custodial parent, the parent who does not live with and care for the child, pay child support. Child care is paid on a monthly base and is determined based on a scale of the combined income of the parents.
  
  

Parental Obligations

• A non-custodial parent is required to pay child support until the child turns 18, unless the child has yet to graduate high school. The parents' monthly income determines the amount of the child support. However, no matter what a non-custodial parent's income is, he must pay a minimum of $50 a month. When a custodial parent files for child support assistance, she may request up to three years in back payments. North Carolina has a ten year statute of limitations for child support debts.
  
  

Penalties

• If a parent fails to pay child support for 90 days, official action is taken. The court may revoke the parent's drivers license as well as any type of occupational license he may possess. Furthermore, the court will intercept income tax returns and use them to pay off owed child support.
  
  

IV-D

• IV-D child support cases are those in which the Office of Child Support Enforcement assists the custodial parent in acquiring owed child support payments. Employers are required to inform the state when they hire an employee who is subject to an IV-D child support case. They must also report the termination of such an employee. If the employee falls 30 days behind in his payments, the employer must withhold wages and send them to the court to account for owed child support.
  
  

Interstate Regulation

• When the non-custodial parent lives outside of the state of North Carolina, the non-custodial parent will make payments based on the laws of the state in which she lives. Also, in applicable cases, that state's statute of limitations will be observed.