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Child Support Services
Responsibilities
Minnesota's child support program benefits children by enforcing parental responsibility for their support. The Minnesota Department of Human Services, Child Support Division supervises the child support program. County child support offices administer it by working with parents to establish and enforce support orders. The child support program helps:
- Children receive the financial basic support, medical support, and child care support they deserve
- Families work toward becoming and remaining self-sufficient
- Parents establish a financial partnership
Services
A person can receive child support if all of the following apply:
- The person is the parent of a minor child or is the person who has court-ordered custody of the minor child
- The minor child lives in the person's household
- The child is financially dependent on that person
- One or both of the child's parents are absent from the home
- A court has ordered a person to pay child support
Child support services are available to:
- Parents of minor children, if one parent does not live with the child
- Parents who pay child support through court-ordered income withholding
- People who have court-ordered, physical custody of a minor child
- People who receive public assistance for a minor child who lives in their home
The child support unit provides services for:
- Collecting and Processing payments
- Enforcing Court Orders for Support
- Establishing Court Orders for Basic Support, Medical Support, and Child Care Support
- Establishing Parentage
- Locating Parents
- Reviewing and Modifying Court Orders for Support
- Working with other states to enforce support when one parent does not live in Minnesota
The child support unit does not help with:
- Divorces
- Parenting time and custody
- Spousal maintenance (alimony) establishment
- Legal advice or counsel
Child support agencies and county attorneys do not represent either parent in child support court actions. Instead, they represent the best interests of the child according to the requirements of child support statutes and guidelines. In Minnesota, parents can also use an expedited process to resolve child support matters where they can represent themselves.
Resources
- Signing up for Services
- Child Support ezDocs
- Child Support Publications
- Common Terms for Child Support
- Minnesota Child Support Guidelines
- Minnesota Child Support Calculator
- Minnesota Child Support Online
- Payments and Fees
- Payment Information
- Pro Se Court Forms
Employer information:
Contact Us
-
Sandy Thorne
Collection Services Supervisor
715 11th Street N.
Suite 402
Moorhead, MN 56560Ph: 218-299-5200
Toll Free: 800-757-3880
Child Support Fx: 218-299-7762Hours
Monday - Friday
8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
- How long does it take to get a child support order?
- Can I file court actions without hiring an attorney?
- How do I get help completing Pro Se forms for the court?
- How do I get my PIN to look up child support payments and access Child Support Online?
- What are my options to receive my child support payments?
- How do I get a copy of my court order?