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Maintain Child Support Cases

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Information about how to access Minnesota Child Support Online, make or receive payments, request changes, enforcement mechanisms, how states work together, and more.

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Use MCSO to review and exchange information about your case

Make or receive payments

Once a parent has applied for child support services, all payments must go through the Minnesota Child Support Payment Center.

A parent should not send payments directly to the other parent when a child support office is enforcing the order. If a parent pays the other parent directly:

The parent making the payment may not get credit for it
The parent receiving the payment must notify their child support worker and may be asked to send the payment to the Child Support Payment Center so it can be disbursed according to federal guidelines.

Lear more about payment information, including:

How to access payment information
How to make payments
Receive payments
Applying payments to a case
Fees
Cashing and depositing state-issued warrants
Billing statements

Request changes in child support cases

Enforcement of child support orders

Most parents pay child support as ordered. But, when parents do not meet their obligations, child support offices enforce the support orders on full-service cases.

Learn more about enforcement actions, including:

Contempt proceedings for non-payment of support
Credit bureau reporting
Federal criminal prosecution
Levy or seizure of financial assets
Passport holds
Student grant holds
License suspensions
Tax refund intercepts

How states work together when parents live in different states

Every state must provide child support services to a parent living in their state, regardless of where the other parent lives.

If one parent lives in another state, the Minnesota child support office may:

Take the next step on the case
Request the help of the other state's child support office
Respond to requests for help from other states.

Every state has a child support office. They all must follow federal child support regulations and the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, which:

Allows only one current support order at a time
Requires a tribunal to determine the one controlling order if there is more than one order for support
Defines which state may modify an order
Allows for income withholding (change link when new page up) for child support across state lines.

More information about other states' child support laws and procedures is in the federal Intergovernmental Reference Guide.

Closing child support cases

Child support cases do not automatically close when a child turns 18 or emancipates. Federal law allows the child support office to close a case under certain conditions.

In general, cases are closed when both of the following are true:

An obligation ends and all support is paid
The person who applied for child support services asks for the case to be closed.

Learn more about closing a child support cases and special circumstances such as:

Cases with children receiving public assistance
Cases with children NOT receiving public assistance
Closing a case when support is still owed
Applying for income withholding-only services
Reapplying for full child support services

Parenting Expense Adjustment

Minnesota courts use the child support guidelines in the law to set child support amounts by considering the incomes of both parents and the number of children. The guidelines include a parenting expense adjustment that may reduce the basic child support to offset the costs of caring for the children during parenting time.

Courts use the parenting expense adjustment law to adjust the basic child support amount for parenting time expenses, based on the number of overnights parents have in their court order. Parenting time expenses include the costs of caring for a child, like food, transportation, and clothing, during parenting time. The parenting expense adjustment only affects parents with court-ordered parenting time.

Learn more about Minnesota's Parenting Expense Adjustment.

How to make a formal complaint and resolve a dispute

In Minnesota, most child support enforcement remedies (link) have a complaint or dispute resolution process. Notices sent to inform parents as enforcement remedies are applied include descriptions of these processes.

Other issues involving child support cases are resolved through a complaint resolution process that involves state and county procedures.

First, bring policy or systems issues to your county child support worker.
If the issue remains unresolved, contact your worker's supervisor or county designee.
If there is no resolution, the complainant may proceed up the county chain of command.
If still not resolved, you will be referred to the state child support office.
If your issue remains unresolved, write a letter to the Child Support Division Director at the Minnesota Department of Human Services.

When the state office receives your written request to review your case, the request will be logged, tracked and assigned to a staff person. If the state office receives your request orally, the case reviewer may ask you to submit it in writing to document the assertions, issues and questions to adequately research and respond to them.

The state office responds to written requests for a case review in two weeks. If a review of all the issues takes longer, the case reviewer may send an interim letter explaining that the review is in process and include the date by which a final response will be sent.

Authority

45 C.F.R. 303.35 Administrative complaint procedure
Minnesota Statutes, section 518A.76 Case reviewer

Minnesota Access and Visitation Grant

Minnesota Access and Visitation Grant supports counseling, parent education, supervised visitation, and neutral drop-off and pick-up through two contracted agencies. Contact these agencies directly to inquire about visitation services:

Central Minnesota Legal Services - Metro Area (612) 334-5970 or outside the Metro Area 1-800-622-4011
FamilyWise - Metro Area (612) 617-0191; Children's Services (612) 877-7821
Note: The Federal Access and Visitation Program provides grants to Minnesota and other states to support and facilitate noncustodial parents' access to and visitation of their children.

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Maintain Child Support Cases

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