How much jail time can you get for contempt of court for child support?

If there is a good reason why you can't pay, such as illness or recent unemployment, you should file a Motion to Modify Child Support to thwart the Contempt. Usually a judge will ask you to pay as much as you can the day you are in court and to set up a future payment plan instead of incarcerating you. However if your payments go through the office of child support enforcement, they can suspend your driver's license, take your tax refunds, put a lien on your bank account, and at the very least impose an earnings withholding order on your paycheck.