My soon-to-be ex-wife wants me to pay the child support directly to her instead of paying it through the Court. Is it okay to do that?

Nearly every Texas divorce decree states in bold letters that payments directly to the spouse are voluntary payments in addition to child support and do not substitute for the court-ordered child support payment. Payment through the court registry protects the paying party from paying twice, just as it protects the person receiving the payment. If a dispute arises over whether a payment was made directly, the court registry will usually be the official registry unless the paying party can provide the evidence to prove the direct payment (for example, by providing a cancelled check written to the other party with "child support due June 1, 2006" written in the memo of the check). Because locating cancelled checks many years after the fact can be difficult if not impossible, direct payments should be avoided in most situations, even if the receiving party prefers to receive the payment in that manner.