Fathers ask this question constantly: I pay every month, so why does my kid show up without a winter coat?

It is a fair question. It deserves a real answer, not a made-up statistic. Here is what the law actually says, what the data actually shows, and what a father in Nevada can actually do.

Nobody Knows How Often Child Support Is Misused

There is no national study on child support misuse. None.

The U.S. Census Bureau surveys custodial parents every two years. Its most recent report, Custodial Parents and Their Child Support: 2022, tracks how much support was owed and how much was received. It does not ask how the money was spent.

The federal Office of Child Support Services tracks collections and arrears. It does not track spending either.

So when you see a number online claiming that some percentage of custodial parents blow support money on themselves, check the source. In most cases there is no source. We published one of those numbers ourselves, and we were wrong to.

Here is the honest version: some parents misuse child support. Some do not. Nobody has measured how many. Anyone who tells you a percentage is guessing.

Nine States Let a Judge Order an Accounting

Most states do not require the receiving parent to itemize spending. Nine states are different. Their statutes give a judge power to order the parent who receives support to account for it.

• Colorado — On the noncustodial parent’s request, the court may order the custodial parent to file an annual financial update including actual expenses for the children. Colo. Rev. Stat. 14-10-115(14)(b).
• Delaware — The strongest law of the nine. A person who receives child support “is a fiduciary with respect to such funds” and may be ordered to account for how the money was spent and managed. Del. Code tit. 13, sec. 518.
• Florida — The court has “continuing jurisdiction to require the obligee to report to the court on terms prescribed by the court regarding the disposition of the child support payments.” Fla. Stat. 61.13(1)(a).
• Indiana — On a proper showing of necessity, the court may order the person receiving support to account to the court for future spending. Ind. Code 31-16-9-6.
• Louisiana — After a hearing and a showing of good cause based on the last six months of spending, the court may order a quarterly expense and income affidavit with supporting documents. La. R.S. 9:312.
• Missouri — On petition and good cause, the court may order the custodial parent to give the paying parent a regular summary of expenses paid for the child. Mo. Rev. Stat. 452.342.
• Nebraska — On proof of “an abusive disregard of the use of child support money,” the court may require the receiving parent to file a verified report stating how the money is used. Neb. Rev. Stat. 42-364(4).
• Oregon — “The court may at any time require an accounting from the custodial parent with reference to the use of the money received as child support.” Or. Rev. Stat. 107.105(1)(c).
• Washington — Support orders must warn the payee that they “may be required to submit an accounting of how the support is being spent to benefit the child.” Wash. Rev. Code 26.23.050.

A 2008 Connecticut legislative research survey also listed Oklahoma. We could not find that provision in Oklahoma’s current statutes, so we do not count it here.

Read those laws closely and one thing stands out. Every single one requires the father to prove something first — good cause, necessity, abusive disregard. None of them hands you an automatic right to receipts. Even in the friendliest state, you have to show the judge a reason.

Nevada Is Not One of Those States

Nevada Revised Statutes Chapter 125B governs child support. Nothing in it lets a Nevada judge order the other parent to account for how support money is spent.

That is the law. A Nevada father who walks into family court asking for receipts will not get them.

One related point people get wrong: child support is not taxable income. The IRS is direct about it — child support “is never deductible and isn’t considered income.” The parent who receives it reports nothing. The parent who pays it deducts nothing.

What a Nevada Father Can Actually Do

You have fewer tools than you want. You have more than none.

1. Write down what you see

Keep dates. Note what your child arrives with and without. Save receipts for what you buy directly. Photos help. A judge responds to a record, not to a feeling.

2. Ask for a review or modification

Under NRS 125B.145, a Nevada support order must be reviewed at least every three years when a party requests it. A change of 20 percent or more in either parent’s gross monthly income counts as changed circumstances that require a review.

This will not punish misuse. It can correct an amount that no longer fits reality.

3. Ask the court to route money to specific costs

Nevada Administrative Code 425.150 lets a court adjust the formula for specific factors. Those include special educational needs, the cost of transporting the child for visitation, and “any other necessary expenses for the benefit of the child.”

That is the opening. Instead of arguing about receipts, ask your attorney to propose that you pay a defined expense directly — tuition, a medical bill, an activity fee — with the support figure adjusted to match. Judges understand that request. They rarely understand “make her show me receipts.”

4. If the child is genuinely going without, that is a custody issue

A child with no food, no medical care, or no supervision is not an accounting problem. It is a welfare problem. That belongs in a motion to modify custody, or in a report to Nevada’s child welfare agency, or both.

Be careful here. Filing a neglect claim you cannot support will damage your credibility with the judge for years. Only go this route when the facts are real.

5. Get a Nevada family law attorney

Every option above works better with counsel who knows the specific judge. Nevada gives you no accounting statute to lean on, so the framing of your motion matters more than usual.

What Happens If You Just Stop Paying

Do not do this. It does not go well, and nothing in Nevada law gives you a defense based on how the other parent spends the money.

• Every missed payment becomes a judgment. Under NRS 125B.140(1)(a), each installment becomes a judgment by operation of law on the day it is due. It is enforceable like any other judgment.
• Interest and fees pile on. The court may add interest on arrears plus reasonable attorney fees. NRS 125B.140(2)(c).
• Your driver’s license goes. Under NRS 483.443, if you do not satisfy the arrearage within 30 days of notice, the DMV suspends your license.
• Your passport goes. Federal law blocks passport issuance once arrears pass $2,500.
• It can become a crime in Nevada. NRS 201.020 makes knowing failure to support a child a misdemeanor. It becomes a category C felony once arrears reach $10,000, or $5,000 on a second violation.
• It can become a federal crime. Under 18 U.S.C. 228, willful failure to pay across state lines is federal. Over one year unpaid or more than $5,000 brings up to six months. Over two years or more than $10,000 brings up to two years, plus mandatory restitution of the full amount owed.

Support debt does not go away in bankruptcy and does not expire quietly. Withholding payment to make a point costs you your license, your record, and your standing with the judge who decides your parenting time.

The Honest Bottom Line

The frustration is legitimate. The system asks fathers for money and asks almost nothing about where it goes. Nine states have decided that is worth fixing. Nevada has not.

That is worth changing through the legislature. It is not worth changing through your checkbook.

Sources

• Connecticut Office of Legislative Research, “Parental Accounting for Child Support Payments,” 2008-R-0460
• Fla. Stat. 61.13
• Colo. Rev. Stat. 14-10-115
• Del. Code tit. 13, sec. 518
• Ind. Code 31-16-9-6
• La. R.S. 9:312
• Mo. Rev. Stat. 452.342
• Neb. Rev. Stat. 42-364
• Or. Rev. Stat. 107.105
• Wash. Rev. Code 26.23.050
• NRS Chapter 125B — Obligation of Support (Nevada)
• NRS 201.020 — Nonsupport of a child (Nevada)
• NRS 483.443 — License suspension for support arrearage
• NAC Chapter 425 — Nevada child support guidelines and adjustments
• IRS Topic No. 452 — Alimony and separate maintenance
• U.S. Census Bureau, Custodial Parents and Their Child Support: 2022 (P60-285)
• ACF Office of Child Support Services — Passport Denial Program
• 18 U.S.C. 228
• National Parents Organization — Research and reports

Related Reading on Equal Rights for Divorced Fathers

• She Spent Child Support on a Cruise: How Misused Child Support Hurts Children and Divorced Fathers
• Fathers’ Rights in America: The Push for Equal Parenting and Family Court Reform
• Trump Administration and Child Support Reform: What Divorced Fathers Need to Know

Fighting for Your Kids? Get Real Help

Equal Rights for Divorced Fathers brings you custody-law news and reform coverage nationwide. In Southern Nevada, real help is one call away: the Fathers Rights Help Line of Las Vegas offers peer support and coaching, and the Family Court Help Line guides you through court procedures and documents — free.

Equal Rights for Divorced Fathers is a publication. We are not a law firm and we do not provide legal advice or representation. Nothing here creates an attorney-client relationship. Consult a licensed Nevada attorney about your specific situation.