The Division of Child Support Enforcement uses several methods to collect and enforce child support orders:
Income Withholding
The employer of the parent paying child support may withhold the child support payment amount from any income owed to the employee and send the payment directly to MDHS to be paid to the parent receiving child support.
Income includes, but is not limited to wages, salary, commission, compensation as an independent contractor, workers’ compensation, annuity benefits, retirement benefits, and any payments made by any person or private entity, the federal, state, or local government.
Unemployment Intercept
A parent who owes child support may have support withheld from their unemployment benefits.
This means that part of their unemployment benefit amount is paid to the child support office instead of being part of their benefit check. The amount that comes out of their check – minus fees – is then paid out to the parent receiving child support.
Tax Offset Intercept
A parent who owes back child support may be subject to interception of any refund due from federal or state taxes.
This means that instead of receiving their full tax refund amount, some or all of the refund will be sent to the child support office and paid out to the parent receiving child support.
For more information, see the Tax Offset Guide.
Contempt Action
A parent who owes back child support may be taken to court for contempt which could result in the court sending the parent to jail if a child support payment is not made.
A contempt action will not be initiated until other enforcement remedies have been attempted. The parent can be confined to jail until he or she pays a set amount towards the support that is determined by the court.
Credit Bureau Reporting
A parent who owes back child support will be reported to the Credit Bureau.
Failure to pay child support on time can decrease someone’s credit score and make it harder for them to get a good loan for a house or car in the future.
Before a parent is reported, he or she must have a child support order that has remained unpaid for at least 60 days after the payment is due. The parent must be given advanced notice that he or she is going to be reported to the credit bureau.
Workers Compensation Benefits and Personal Injury Claims
If the parent who owes back child support makes a workers’ compensation or personal injury claim in court, MDHS can file a request to have the overdue child support paid directly to MDHS from any money that would otherwise be paid to the parent in their workers’ compensation or personal injury claims.
Accounts Frozen and Seized
A parent who owes back child support may have their account(s) frozen and seized from financial institutions such as banks and credit unions.
License Suspension
A parent who owes back child support may have any state-issued license suspended if one of the following conditions exists:
- The parent has failed to comply with a subpoena or warrant relating to paternity or child support proceedings;
- The parent is one or more months behind in making payments in full for current support and support arrearage; or
- The parent fails to make a child support payment, and it remains unpaid for at least 30 days after agreeing to a payment plan.
Examples of the state-issued licenses that can be suspended include: driver’s licenses, hunting licenses, and professional licenses.
Passport revocation
A parent who owes back child support of $2,500 or more will have their passport revoked or passport application denied.
