Non-compliance with FRO support orders can result in serious legal and financial penalties
The Family Responsibility Office (FRO) has extensive enforcement powers to ensure support payments are made as ordered. When support payers fail to comply, the FRO can take immediate action to collect outstanding amounts.
The FRO may implement these enforcement measures:
- Financial enforcement: Garnishing wages, intercepting tax refunds, or freezing bank accounts
- Licence suspension: Suspending driver’s licence, passport, or professional credentials
- Property actions: Registering liens against personal property or real estate
- Legal consequences: Filing writs of seizure, initiating court proceedings, or pursuing jail time for willful non-compliance
- Credit impact: Reporting defaulted payments to credit bureaus
The FRO treats support enforcement seriously and can employ multiple measures simultaneously to ensure compliance with support orders.