Written by Background Check Repair
Background Checks | June 4, 2024
Table of Contents
Many individuals who have recently gone through a divorce wonder how to look up someone’s place of employment for child support.
Although it is harder than ever to avoid child support, some individuals are still able to hide their income (or the size of their income) successfully.
Luckily, there are a few different techniques individuals can employ that are commonly used by debt agencies to not only find the individual but also determine their income.
First, a name-based search can often turn up the information within less than 60 seconds. These types of tools gather public records for fast searching.
However, when a manual search is required, this guide explains exactly how to find out where someone works for child support legally, and quickly.
Knowing how to find out where someone works for garnishment can be surprisingly easy in many cases. With so much information readily available online and so many different sources to check, individuals who know where to look can often locate a non-custodial parent themself using their computer.
However, there are still limits to this DIY-style search. Mainly, since only public information will be available, a non-custodial parent who is trying their hardest not to be found can cover their tracks reasonably well, making it nearly impossible for an individual to locate them.
Luckily, state agencies will have their own tools and methods when it comes to how to find out where someone works for child support. So if a DIY search turns up empty, there is still a possibility that various agencies will be able to locate the individual.
State agencies will have their own methods that are more direct than the DIY techniques individuals will need to rely on. However, if the state agency is slow to respond, it may be worthwhile for individuals to perform their own searches to help speed up the process.
The Office of Child Support Enforcement will have special access to various records that individuals will not.2 These databases and checks can help locate almost all non-custodial parents, regardless of what state they live in or the type of employment. The following checks and records are used to locate non-custodial parents.
Although the checks are not limited to the above list, these checks will be able to find most individuals.
Using a DIY method to find out someone’s income is fairly difficult and is one of the main reasons that this practice is normally left to government agencies that will have special access to much of this information.
In general, only the courts can force an individual to prove their income for child support reasons, usually using pay stubs or another similar proof of income. Although individuals will have very few ways of proving another individual’s income very accurately, there are still a few things that individuals should look out for.
Basically, individuals receiving child support should be on the lookout for suspicious activity regarding the non-custodial parent’s potential income level. For example, individuals who are living a lifestyle that seems to be above their supposed income are one of the most obvious signs that they are not submitting their entire child support payment.
Although it’s common for individuals to get a raise with a new job or promotion since child support payments are generally a percentage of the individual’s income, child support payments should rise with their income.
There are a few ways to prove that the individual is lying about their income level to the courts, however, the courts will need to be involved in this process as it will be up to the courts to ask the non-custodial spouse to provide certain documents. Aside from requesting documents, the courts may also choose to subpoena certain information such as loan applications in order to see if they reported a different income level while applying for a loan.
Finally, another indirect way to get an idea of an individual’s income is by using public tax records. For example, property taxes paid by the individual will be considered public information. By requesting these records, individuals can determine if the amount of money they are spending on property taxes is high enough to warrant suspicion that they are lying about their income level to the courts.
Many individuals who are trying to avoid paying child support may have heard that switching jobs is a good way to hide your income level from the courts. Since much of the information used by the courts to determine child support is provided by the individual in question, this can be effective but only to a certain extent. If the custodial parent is suspicious, it is fairly easy for the Office of Child Support Enforcement to find the individual’s new job and determine their income level.1
When it comes to how to find out where someone works for child support, whether an individual is trying to determine this information by themselves or if a government agency is involved it is usually a fairly quick process.
With so much useful information available in online databases, government agencies can find this information in a matter of minutes in some cases and are only limited by the backlog of other cases that they will be investigating. Individuals can also find this information fairly quickly, or at least get an estimate of income levels. Things like Linkedin profiles can indicate an individual’s income range based on the information from their employer’s profile.
It is always a good idea to notify the courts and the custodial parent of any major changes in income to avoid any issues arising from the courts believing that the individual is attempting to mislead the courts about their income level.
Individuals who are having trouble obtaining child support payments from a non-custodial parent should consult with an attorney if possible as well as contact the parent locator service in their state. Use the list below to access the website of the parent locator service in each state.
Many individuals will attempt to switch jobs to avoid child support. Since this information is often provided to the courts voluntarily it can be a somewhat effective method of avoiding child support payments. However, it will rarely be effective for very long as when it comes to how to find out where someone works for child support, both the custodial parent and the courts will have several options to find this information.
Even in situations where individuals take a job in a different state, the agencies employed by the courts to locate non-custodial parents are federal agencies, so finding an individual who has moved to another state does not pose a major issue.
Many individuals wondering how to find where someone works for child support may think to find someone’s previous employers and contact them to see if they have any information. However, if previous employers are unknown, many individuals will turn to background checks to find a previous employer.
Generally, it is unlikely that a background check will reveal an individual’s previous employers but it is not impossible. Most background checks will perform criminal history checks using law enforcement and court databases, however, there is no national employment database in the U.S.
When employers perform past-employment verification, this is usually done using the information provided by the applicant, rather than the employer checking some kind of database. Without the individual willingly providing past employment, it can be difficult to figure out where else they have worked.
The most effective method to do this would be to use something similar to a background check using social media. This method may indirectly reveal an individual’s employer such as if they discussed work in a social media post or have an active LinkedIn account with their employer information accessible.
Running a background check on yourself is fairly easy and can be completed in several different ways. A basic public information check can be performed using the search bar at the top of this page. For a slightly more thorough check, individuals can pay an online background check service to perform a check on them. Finally, the most thorough check that most individuals can run on themselves is a federal background check which is performed by the FBI.
When it comes to past employment checks, these are inherently difficult to perform on yourself. Most employers will contact an applicant’s past employers directly, based on the information given on the application. However, it is entirely possible to contact a previous employer to ensure they still have records that the individual worked there and what their job title, duties, etc. were.
Although government agencies will normally be in charge of locating non-custodial parents for child support cases, individuals still have a few methods to find the individual themselves.
Public records are often a good place to start. Most notably, tax records will be considered public information and are a great way to learn an individual’s address. Besides this, social media background checks will likely be the most effective way to learn someone’s location.
Plenty of background check companies will offer social media background checks that can be performed using the individual’s name. These checks are fairly adept at locating social media accounts of all kinds for an individual. However, privacy settings can still make this method somewhat unreliable at times.
Knowing how to find out where someone works can most reliably be done by contacting Federal Parent Locator services. This agency will have special access to private information in order to locate someone using tax documents, utility bills, and more.
The most reliable DIY method will be to locate an individual’s LinkedIn account and see if they have an employer listed. Beyond this, if an individual suspects that the non-custodial parent works at a business, checking the LinkedIn account of the business or their website can sometimes be a worthwhile way to verify suspicions.
Even when you know how to look for someone’s work history, it is a fairly difficult thing to find besides inquiring with the individual directly. There is no national or state database for employment besides those maintained for individual companies and, in some cases, individuals who hold government jobs.
In most cases, determining someone’s previous employers can most reliably be done by performing a background check to see what information turns up as well as performing social media background checks.
In some cases, even government agencies will not be able to locate certain individuals. Although this is fairly rare, it does happen, mainly if the individual is intentionally hiding out by living with a friend or relative or even leaving the country entirely. In this case, the best thing to do is to apply for the TANF program in order to compensate for the lack of child support income.4
Beyond this, many private investigators will specialize in finding individuals who are trying to avoid child support. Although expensive, many private investigators will be able to locate hard-to-find individuals since they can rely on an in-person investigation, whereas most government agencies will rely on databases and electronic investigations.
Individuals who are unemployed are still legally required to make child support payments in most cases. If the individual has no income the court will usually determine how much money they would be making, if they were employed. This hypothetical income will be used to determine child support payments.
Individuals may also be required by law to apply for a certain number of jobs per week and keep a diary of their applications, interviews, etc.
Individuals are not always required to notify the custodial parent or the courts of a change in income level. Although this can be a requirement in some cases, in many situations, this information is voluntary.
However, the custodial parent can often ask the courts to investigate the individual’s income level if they believe that they are not providing the required percentage of their income as child support payments.
Generally, child support will be calculated based on working 40 hours per week. Individuals who work a full-time job and have an additional part-time will usually not have the second job included in the calculations for child support payments.
However, this will depend on a variety of circumstances and the child support agreement.
Some states have special programs that allow for financial incentives to non-custodial parents such as debt relief in exchange for regular child support payments being made. This program is not always available but is a great avenue to explore for individuals who are struggling to make child support payments.
Obtaining child support payments can be stressful, especially when the individual is trying to avoid making these payments at all costs. Luckily the courts make it easy for individuals to locate them using specialized agencies. Still, there are several DIY options available for how to find out where someone works for child support.
If you make $1,000 a week, there are numerous factors involved when determining a child support payment. Besides the individual’s income, the state, and number of children will come into play.
Child support locate the other parent through various government agencies to make child support payments. Mainly, the Office of Child Support enforcement will use databases to find out where someone works and lives using their SSN, tax records, DMV information, utility bills and more.
Previous jobs will only appear on a background check if the individual provided this information on their application. Although there are some rare exceptions to this such as if the individual worked for the company previously, or if the employer checks government employment databases and the individual previously held a government job.
The courts will generally employ the agency in charge of locating a parent, for example the office of child support enforcement is usually the agency that is tasked with locating parents who are trying to hide in order to avoid child support payments.
CA.gov has a calculator to help individuals determine their child support payments.3 Keep in mind that this will not exactly determine the amount an individual must pay in child support and is intended to be used only as a rough guideline.
Child support is able to find non-custodial parents in a number of different ways. Since jobs require that individuals submit their SSN for an identity check, often times this information will be used to help locate the individual and find out where they work. In more extreme cases, DMV information as well as utility bills can also be used to locate an individual.
In most cases, the courts will employ government agencies to locate a parent for child support payment. Although the custodial parents shouldn’t need to locate the individual themselves, running a background check or social media check on the individual can both be effective methods to locate the parent.
Child support is able to find parents by accessing databases that are not available to the public in most cases. These databases use information like SSN or tax records in order to find out where someone is employed.
Most county courts will have searchable records to look up child support cases. However since these records will often include information regarding a minor, they may not be accessible to the public in some cases and will only be available to the individuals named on the document.
1Administration for Children & Families. (2022). Finding the Noncustodial Parent. Office of Child Support Enforcement. Retrieved September 15, 2022, from <https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/documents/ocse/chapter2_0.pdf>
2Administration for Children & Families. (2022). On Demand Knowledge Works Webinars. Office of Child Support Enforcement. Retrieved September 15, 2022, from <https://www.acf.hhs.gov/css>
3CA.GOV. (2022). Calculate Child Support. California Child Support Services. Retrieved September 15, 2022, from <https://childsupport.ca.gov/calculate-child-support/>
4Office of the Administration for Children & Families. (2022, June 29). Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). Office of Family Assistance. Retrieved September 15, 2022, from <https://www.acf.hhs.gov/ofa/programs/temporary-assistance-needy-families-tanf>
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