Laws on child support back pay differ from one state to the next. However, under most state laws, a parent who has been required to pay child support for a child and fails to do so will owe that child support payment regardless of their financial circumstances. Child support is unable to be wiped out during bankruptcy and it is unlikely that it will be negotiated through other means as well. In some instances, child support back pay may be forced to be paid through the use of wage garnishments on the parent's payroll check. Further, most states have laws in place to punish non support paying parents with jail time and additional fines as well.