Learn how the child support payments billing cycle works

The Department of Revenue (DOR) processes payments on child support orders that are due weekly and monthly.

Overview

• Your court order for child support might say that child support payments are due every week or once a month.
• DOR's "billing cycle" is from the first day to the last day of every month. This means that on the first day of every month, we figure out how much child support is due for the whole month.
• We send bills to your employer so they know how much child support to withhold (take out) from your paycheck every time you get paid. Your employer has to send us the child support within 3 days from the date they take it out of your paycheck. We give you credit for a payment on the date we receive it from your employer.
• Our billing cycle closes on the last day of the month. This means that on the last day of the month, we check to see how much support was paid that month.
• If we don't receive all the payments that were due for that month, your account shows an "arrears" balance, meaning you owe money.
• Sometimes, the arrears might not be "true" arrears. This can happen when the payments are on their way from your employer but don't arrive by the last day of the month.

Weekly child support obligations

If your court order says that you have to pay child support each week, we charge your account each Friday. We figure out how much support is due in a month by counting how many Fridays are in that month.

Sometimes, the money due on the 5^th Friday doesn’t get to us from your employer before the last day of the month. This can happen when the last day of the month is a Friday or if your employer pays you bi-weekly.

If your employer continues to send in payments, we should get the “missing” payment in the next month.

Monthly child support obligations

If your court order says that you have to pay child support once a month, we charge your account on the first day of each month.

As long as we receive payment in full within that month, no arrears accrue.

"Arrears" balances as a result of the billing cycle

An account may show an arrears balance equal to 1 or 2 weeks of support, even when child support payments are regular and consistent because we receive a payment due during the month after the billing cycle closes for that month. If this occurs in your case, your account is not delinquent.

As long as you, or your employer, continue to make regular payments, this condition will correct itself. As long as you don’t owe other arrears, you won’t be charged interest and penalties.