HOW CAN THE SUPPORT COLLECTION UNIT HELP?

By: William F. Berglund, Esq.

The New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, Division of Child Support Services, is responsible for supervising the administration of New York State’s child support enforcement program.

The Child Support Enforcement Unit assists individuals in locating a missing non-custodial parent, establishing paternity, and establishing, collecting and distributing child support. Parents who submit these issues to the courts may agree that support shall be paid directly by the paying parent to the payee parent, but support may also be paid through the Support Collection Unit (SCU).

The SCU is a third party which collects support from the payor and forwards it to the payee. This process confers certain benefits. The SCU keeps track of payments and will automatically enforce a Court Order, if necessary, through income withholding and/or other means, including taking income tax refunds, suspending a driver’s license, suspending or denying a passport, and notifying credit reporting agencies of arrears. If these administrative measures are unsuccessful, the SCU may assist the payee in preparing a Petition for Enforcement for the New York State Family Court.

Any parent, or non-parent caregiver acting as a guardian, of at least one child under 21 years of age may apply for child support services.

You can obtain more information at childsupport.ny.gov or by calling 888-208-4485. The family law attorneys at O’Connell & Aronowitz stand ready to assist you.