Support payments

How support is paid out

Designated payments

Payer selects one case

The paying parent may "designate" a payment to one of his or her cases -- the payer has more than one case but chooses one case for the payment. This can occur if the payer sends in a support payment with a payment coupon. Payments from income withholding cannot be designated.

If the parent chooses to "designate" a case, the money will go to that one case. The payment will first go to any current support owed for that month before it is used to pay past-due support.

For example: The parent is ordered to pay support to Family A and to Family B.

The payer designates a $500 payment to Family B. Current support still owed for the month to Family B is $200.

The payment will first pay off the $200 of current support owed to Family B. The remaining $300 will go to the past-due support owed to Family B.

Enforcement action

One case may also be selected, using a special payment form, if a payment is made due to an enforcement action such as a purge payment made due to a court action or an action that resulted from a Child Support Lien. The paying parent should ask their child support agency for a special payment form.

When a payment is designated, the money goes to the selected case. The support may or may not pay current support before paying the past-due support.

Fees and costs

Paying parents are sent special payment coupons and notices each year to pay R &D fees. Income withholding is also used to collect these fees. These payments are used to pay the R&D Fee first.

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