Child Support

• Learn basics about child support services
• Use the child support calculator to estimate the amount a court may order
• Apply for different types of child support services
• Work with your county to establish a child support order
• Work with your county to locate a parent
• Learn about the formula used to determine child support
• Learn about the parenting expense adjustment
• Register to use the secure website, Minnesota Child Support Online, to review and exchange information about your case
• Search glossary of common terms

• Review and exchange information about your case at Minnesota Child Support Online 
• Make or receive payments
• Request changes in child support orders
• Learn about child support order enforcement
• Learn how states work together when parents live in different states
• Learn about closing child support cases
• Learn about the parenting expense adjustment
• Get up-to-date case and payment information by phone or online
• Make a formal complaint and resolve a dispute
• Search glossary of common terms

Establishing parentage between unmarried parents creates a legal relationship between a child and the child's parents when no legal relationship previously existed. Actions to establish a legal relationship between a child and the child's father are informally referred to as paternity actions. Parentage must be established before a parent's name can be placed on a child's birth certificate. 

For further information about these topics:

• How mother's marital status affects parentage
• Three ways to establish parentage
• Reasons to establish parentage
• How the Recognition of Parentage process establishes paternity

Being in prison or jail can make paying child support difficult or impossible. But parents' child support obligations do not automatically stop. 

Get answers to frequently asked questions about this challenge

Military families face challenges because of deployments or other lengthy separations. 

Learn more about keeping support orders reasonable and fair for military and veteran families.

If you need help getting a child support order or collecting child support, contact your county or Tribal child support office. These local offices work with parents to establish and enforce support orders.

Learn more about:

• How to contact your county child support office
• How to get payment information online or by phone
• Talking to someone at the state child support help desk
• Finding addresses if you want to send mail.