Cabinet prioritises outstanding child support
Outstanding child support is now given priority in the settlement of debts. This will ensure that parents entitled to child support receive more funds to care for the children, and more quickly. To this end, Minister Weerwind for Legal Protection submitted a bill to the House of Representatives after the Council of Ministers agreed to the proposal.
Currently, child support debt is not granted higher priority (preferential status). As a result, child support debt is on an equal footing with other debts and must give way to higher-ranking debts. Preferential debts are paid earlier, after which the remaining funds are divided among the other debts, including child support. This proposed legislation will change the situation.
Minister Weerwind: "The more debts there are, the smaller the amount left to pay child support. This is currently the situation as child support is not prioritised over other debts. The result can be a dire situation, such as a parent not having sufficient funds to pay for groceries, clothes or sports for the children. By prioritising the payment of child support in the total debt, more child support will reach the parent who needs it, and more quickly. In this way, we put the best interests of the child first."
More child support
Currently, child support debt is not granted a higher priority status. Child support debt is on the same footing as most other debts, such as debts to online retailers and telephone providers. If multiple creditors are involved, the funds to settle the debts first go to the higher-ranking debts, such as a tax debt. Any remaining funds are divided among the other creditors. Research by the Landelijk Bureau Innings Onderhoudsbijdragen (National Child Support Recovery Agency, LBIO) indicates that granting higher priority status to child support debt will enable more child support to be collected. The bill will be submitted to the House of Representatives at the earliest opportunity, after which the House of Representatives will decide when to address the bill.