Job Loss and Child Support

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What you need to know

  • By law, you must tell your child support agency within 10 days if you lose your job, if your income changes, if you get a new job, or if you change jobs.
  • Your child support order continues after a job loss because only a court can change the amount of your child support order.
  • If your job loss is expected to last longer than 6 to 8 weeks or will result in a substantial change to your income, you may ask your child support agency to have your court order reviewed for a change.
  • Parents can also file a motion on their own directly with a court to have their support order reviewed. For information on filing a pro se motion, please contact the Clerk of Court's office in the county where the order is entered.
  • If child support payments were taken out of your paycheck, child support payments will now be withheld from Unemployment Insurance checks (if applicable).

Withholding Support from Unemployment Benefits

State policy allows up to 50% of your Wisconsin unemployment checks to be withheld for support. If deductions related to unemployment such as penalties or overpayments reduce your unemployment benefits, 50% of what remains can still be withheld. You are still responsible to pay any remaining support owed each month if the money taken out of your unemployment checks is not enough to cover your monthly owed support amount.

Ways to Pay Support

Resources for Parents Who Lose Their Jobs