MEP – Lawyers and Self-Represented Litigants Guide

Overview

This guide covers how to prepare court orders for support that MEP can enforce, while meeting the circumstances of each case.

MEP can only enforce the clear, legal and workable terms in a court order. If an order is silent or ambiguous, we'll apply existing policies and practices.

Lawyers and Self-Represented Litigants Guide

Court orders

Clearly-written court orders for support state:

• that one party is to pay the other party
• the date payments are to begin
• the dates payments are due (for example, end of every month)
• the amount of each payment
• the conditions of eligibility and/or terminating events
• if the support obligation may be revived once it ends

Lawyers may use the language in this form for examples of clear and enforceable maintenance terms:

Maintenance Enforcement Support Agreement form

Serving documents

To request that MEP serve documents on the payor or recipient of support, fill out this form and mail or fax it to MEP:

Service Request form

Research and analysis

The information and suggestions found on this website reflect MEP’s current policies and practices. Using the information on this website should not be a substitute for appropriate legal research and analysis, including a review of the Maintenance Enforcement Act, the Maintenance Enforcement Regulation and any other relevant statutes and case law.

Maintenance Enforcement Act

Maintenance Enforcement Regulation

Comments and questions

If you’re a member of the legal profession, email MEP your comments and questions about our policies and practices, and our online content.

Email: [email protected]

Contact

Connect with the Maintenance Enforcement Program.