I get a lot of calls from fathers who need legal help because they are having problems with the child support authorities in Maryland. This post has good news and bad news for these fathers. The good news, is that I can tell you what some of the common questions are and give you some common sense information on dealing with this problem.

The bad news is, most of the time, unless the child support issue is part of a larger custody dispute, and the parent can afford to retain me for both issues, I can’t help the callers who have problems with child support. Usually, someone who can’t pay his (or her) child support, can’t pay me. Sadly, child support laws in Maryland are the most burdensome for those least able to pay — that means lower and middle income parents. One of my first cases as a lawyer involved a parent who made barely more than minimum wage. Because of the fact that Maryland’s child support guidelines do not factor in and deduct basic living expenses from the child support calculation, this parent was ordered to pay almost every cent of income made.

The economy is a lot worse now than it was then. Folks are losing their jobs, their homes, and many can’t even afford to get relief in bankruptcy. So here is some information for parents who have to deal with child support issues:

• If you suffer a serious financial problem, like losing a job or your home, let the court that issued the child support order know about it. Right away. Maryland law allows for a modification of support if your economic situation changes significantly, but you have to ask for the change by filing papers with the court.

• Use the free legal resources available to you to take legal action. Maryland’s courts offer help from the Pro Se Project Maryland Pro Se Project, the Maryland Legal Services Corporation MLSC, and Maryland Legal Aid Bureau MDLAB. These services are overburdened already, so you will have to be persistent and committed to get help from them, but don’t delay. Keep at it until you get the help you need.

• Keep detailed records of everything, including all the court orders, the letters you get from child support enforcement, the letters you send to them, and most important, the payments you make, whether through wage withholding or directly to the custodial parent.

• If your local child support enforcement office has made a mistake, ask them for an accounting. Keep asking until you get what you’ve asked for.

• Get the full name and direct telephone number of anyone you speak with at your local child support office, and keep a written log of your communications with that person. Usually, callers are directed to the main number for the state office, which routes the call to the local office. It won’t help if you have the 800 number, you need the number of the local office.

Child support enforcement in each county in Maryland is run by a different subcontracting agency, all of whom report to the state office of Child Support Enforcement. Some are effective, some are not. The key is to know exactly who you are dealing with, to ask for the help you need as soon as you need it, and to be persistent until you get it