Division of Family and Economic Security, Bureau of Working Families

Wisconsin Works (W-2) Manual

15.1.1 Assignment of Child Support Payments

As a condition of eligibility, all parents in the W-2W-2Wisconsin Works Group are required by law to assign to the state all child support payments paid or accrued while the W-2 Group is in one of the following placements:

  • W-2 TW-2 TW-2 Transition;
  • CSJCSJCommunity Service Job; or
  • CMCCMCCustodial Parent of an Infant, when the individual in a CMC placement previously received AFDCAFDCAid to Families with Dependent Children, W-2, or CTSCTSCaretaker Supplement payments.

If an individual is placed in a CMC placement and has not previously received an AFDC, W-2 T, CSJ, or CTS payment, they are not required to assign child support payments to the state during the CMC placement.

Not all of the child support collected is retained by the state. The “assignment” of support means that child support collections can be retained by the state to pay back some or all of the federal and state costs of the cash assistance paid to W-2 participants.