Payments

Does the Office guarantee that payments will be made?

Approximately 75 per cent of claimants registered with the Office receive their support payments each month. However, the Office cannot guarantee that payments will be made.

How can payments be made?

Respondents can pay by:

• pre-authorized withdrawal;
• personalized cheque;
• money order;
• certified cheque;
• postdated cheque;
• bank draft;
• cash; or
• debit card at the Maintenance Enforcement Office.

Cash and debit card payments are only accepted in person at the Maintenance Enforcement Office (1st Floor, 3085 Albert Street, Regina) from 8 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday.

What is the payment method that is most likely to ensure that payments are made and received on time?

Respondents are encouraged to consider providing a series of postdated cheques. This is an effective way of ensuring that your payments are made on time, all the time, so that no enforcement action is required.

Post-dated cheques are mailed to the claimant approximately one week before the due date on the cheque so that they will be received on time.

Payments are to be made payable to the claimant unless the Office instructs otherwise.

How do claimants receive their payments?

The Maintenance Enforcement Office may receive payments on a claimant's account directly from the respondent or through a successful enforcement action, such as a garnishment on the respondent's wages. The Office records payments and usually mails them within 24 hours.

If the respondent sends a personal cheque payable to the Office, the cheque will be held for 14 calendar days to ensure it clears the bank. If it clears, a cheque from the Office will then be mailed to the claimant.

What if the respondent doesn't pay?

The Office will review the file and decide what enforcement action should be taken.

Action may include:

• garnisheeing the respondent's wages, other income or bank account;
• garnishing payments that the respondent may receive from the federal government such as Employment Insurance, Canada Pension, Old Age Security, grain advances, Revenue Canada refunds or GST rebates;
• enforcing the order or agreement against a corporation which is owned solely by the respondent, or owned by the respondent and related family members;
  reporting the respondent to a credit bureau;
• seizing and selling the respondent's personal property, such as a vehicle;
  putting a lien on any real property that the respondent owns to prevent the respondent from selling, remortgaging or leasing it without making payment arrangements with the Maintenance Enforcement Office;
• attaching pension contributions that the respondent has made;
• suspending the respondent's driver's licence;
• requiring the respondent to appear in court to explain why payments have not been made. The judge presiding over the default hearing may make an order to put the respondent in jail for up to 90 days for contempt of the support order or agreement.

For more information on these enforcement actions, please see the Enforcing Support Orders section of this Website or call the Maintenance Enforcement Office, Family Justice Services Branch at (306) 787-8961 or 1-866-229-9712 (outside of Regina area).