Your spouse may begin paying you child support voluntarily at any time.
A temporary order for support will give you the right to collect the support if your spouse stops paying. Talk to your lawyer about court hearings for temporary support in your county. You may have to wait for several weeks to several months before your temporary hearing can be held.
It is possible that the judge will not order child support to start until the first of the following month. Additionally, the judge can also require that your spouse pay back the child support arrears, or the money he should have been paying you prior to the hearing. Typically, arrears are not paid back immediately. A payment plan may be made for your spouse to pay you back over time.