*7 Tips to Help you Find an Absent Parent for Child Support Collection*

You've probably tried to find someone online before.  Usually what happens is some website pops up telling you that you can “Click Here” to find out everything you want to know about your subject. For a fee.!

Why pay for information that you can get free of charge, if you know where to look?   Here are just some of the resources that are totally free:

1. Phone Records

It only takes a couple of minutes to search using online directories for a parent who owes back child support. Be sure to search multiple areas and states such as places where  your ex previously lived or may have moved. Many child support debtors no longer subscribe to a ‘land line,’ but it’s still worth a shot – you might get lucky, or you might find a relative.

While there are literally thousands of online telephone directories, here are some of the more popular ones:

AnyWho: www.anywho.com
AT&T Directory Assistance: www.corp.att.com/directory/

SuperPages: www.superpages.com
SwitchBoard: www.switchboard.com
White Pages: www.whitepages.com
Yahoo! People Search: people.yahoo.com

2. Business Records

To look up information about a corporation, an LLC, or other business entity that might be owned by an absent child support enforcement parent, most states offer searches through the Secretary of State’s Office. You can find out what the business structure is, the status (active, suspended or dissolved), the name and address of the registered agent for service of process, the name of the primary officer(s) and the address of the business. These records are typically maintained by the County Clerk.

3. Court Records

Many states offer custodial parents online access to all manner of court records. Civil cases, traffic records (even parking tickets), family court records and bankruptcy filings are all public record. Some states offer statewide access, while others only offer access in specific counties. Bankruptcy filings are searchable through US District courts through the Pacer Electronic Records system.

4. Criminal Records

If you've ever wondered if the non-custodial parent is in jail, or has outstanding warrants – there are many databases that allow you to investigate this for yourself. Most of these databases are on a state by state search and usually searchable either by county or statewide. Federal inmates are searchable through the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

5. Property Records

Property records are searchable by the county the property is located in. If you think your ex owns a home or other property, you can usually conduct a search by the owner’s name or the property address. These records are made available through the county tax assessor and/or the county recorder’s office.

6. Professional Licenses

There are hundreds of professions and occupations which require licensing through the state.  Many child support debtors are accountants, doctors, barbers and cosmetologists, child care providers, auto repair facilities, pharmacists, nurses, contractors – and many, many more. You can search for information about a person or company through the states’ Department of Consumer Affairs or State Licensing Board.

7. Voter Registrations

Voter registration records can help you to identify the whereabouts of any parent who owes child support and who votes. Some counties keep independent voter registration databases, but most states keep these records through the Secretary of State.

Okay, so that’s a lot of information, and it’s really just the tip of the iceberg! You could spend hours searching for all of these independently, but I recommend using a public records “portal,” such as Black Book Online. It’s FREE.

Child Support Network