Case Management Services

Monitoring & enforcing child support orders

Local child support agencies monitor cases to ensure the court orders are being followed. If the court order is not being followed, the agency will take action. Cases with past-due support may be enforced up to 20 years after the youngest child reaches the age of 18.

Child support agencies have many tools to help them enforce child support orders. Some actions, such as interest charges, tax refund intercepts, and child support liens, are automatic when the amount of past-due support reaches a certain level. Other actions, such as license denial and court actions, are done on a case-by-case basis.

For the most efficient and effective use of staff time, child support agencies use their experience to choose what actions they take and when. For instance, they might write warning letters before they take a more drastic action. Some enforcement actions require due process and/or a court action.