Feeling the need to vent a little

This past week I have received multiple phone calls from my older childrens' father demanding to know where his child support is.  (For those of you who do not know, my older three kids live with their dad during the school year, and I pay him child support year round).  I was cursed at, screamed at, etc.  I kept my cool and ensured him that I had sent payment and told him how I had done so.  I was then called a liar.  This went on and on and on over a series of several days, with me receiving calls every single day.

Since I was laid off from my job, obviously those weekly payments are not being sent by my employer any longer.  The last payment he received was on or about May 5th.  Today is June 10th.  I mailed a check via my online banking program, and the check was returned to me about a week later, unpresented due to the fact that the name on the check didn't match my name (the account is in my husband's name, so I guess that was the issue?).  The same day I received the check back in the mail, I followed the enclosed instructions to use the online "Expert Pay" service to submit payment.  I had already set up an account with the online service, but opted not to go that route because when I entered my child support case number, no information was found.  I was afraid that my payment would be sitting in limbo too long before it made it anywhere.  At this point, I had no choice but to utilize this service.  I crossed my fingers and hit submit, twice.  Twice, due to the fact that this online service will not allow me to make a payment for more than $400 at a time.  So, every two weeks, I will submit two payments for my child support, each in the amount of the former weekly payment that I was making.  Makes sense, right?  Well, this was first done on the 27th of May.  I had called and spoke to representatives with child support.  They informed me that as of May 5th, the amount I owed through the end of May was $19.17 (because by paying weekly I had actually jumped ahead on my payments).  I took note of this, but rather than just sending the "minimum", I continued with my weekly payments, via the online service.  Well, finally...13 days later...the state received those first two payments, and I'm HOPING they deposited them into his account.  I am so tired of hearing about how broke he is, he doesn't have money to pay for field trips, end of year picnics, lost library books, rides at the amusement park, etc.  He is in the red because he wrote out checks to pay for daycare without first consulting his bank account to determine whether he actually had the funds to cover those payments.  And all of this, of course, is MY fault.

In the meantime, before he called me to complain, I had already submitted my 2nd set of bi-weekly payments on June 3.  At this point, I should only owe $96.09 for the remainder of June.  I'm keeping track of these totals because everytime I log onto the state's child support online account, they have changed what my monthly amount is supposed to be, it has a different amount showing for the total I owe, versus the current amount I owe.  None of this ever makes any sense.  When I talk to a rep at the toll-free number, they are telling me that I am over $500 in arrears.  I have to correct them, they tell me they can't help me, and that an agent will call me back.  So, at this point, I am fuming.  Is it really too much to ask to have people who know basic arithmetic to be manning those phone lines??  Is it really that difficult??  Let me break it down for you...

$19.17(which is what I owed for the month of May as of May 5th when the last payment was submitted by my employer)

MINUS $461.54=-$442.37 (this new number is the amount already paid into the month of June.)

Take the $1000 that I'm ordered to pay each month and subtract that $442.37 listed above and you get $557.63 (which by the way is showing on the child support website at the "Total Balance Owed"--which is actually correct).  I have also been informed that you are not in "arrears" until you are 30 days past due.  Therefore, if July gets here, and they have received no further payments from me, then I will be $557.63 in arrears.  However, that isn't even the number that the rep gave me when she told me I was in arrears.  She quoted me a different number.

[caption id="attachment_296" align="aligncenter" width="480" caption="These numbers just don't add up!"][/caption]

I redacted the other party's name, the case number and the court order number to preserve the other party's privacy.  I am not really upset at him, more so at the state that is handling this case.  I'm expected to be responsible and accountable for what I do, so why should this agency not have to uphold to those same standards??  Stay tuned, I will keep you posted on the outcome once this "agent" gets back to me, sometime within the next two business days.