The other parent owes me a lot of past-due child support, and I know I will never see it. Can I just write that off, so he/she will quit giving me a hard time about it?
Answer
No. In Indiana, parents cannot make deals between themselves regarding child support. Only a court can decide how much child support is owed. Even a court normally cannot write off or modify the amount of past-due child support that is owed. The reason for this rule is that the right to receive support belongs to the child, not to the custodial parent, and it is not in the child’s best interest to let the non-custodial parent out of his or her current or past support obligation. You can discontinue the enforcement, by the TItle IV-D office.