Number: RS22753
Title: Child Support Enforcement: $25 Annual User Fee
Authors: Carmen Solomon-Fears, Specialist in Social Policy 
Abstract: P.L. 109-171, the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, required states to impose a $25 annual user fee for Child Support Enforcement (CSE) services provided to families with no connection to the welfare system. The user fee is to be assessed if the state CSE agency collects at least $500 in child support payments on behalf of the family in a given fiscal year. The law gives the states four options on how to obtain the user fee. According to a survey of the 54 jurisdictions with CSE programs, 26 jurisdictions impose the user fee on the custodial parent, 20 jurisdictions pay the fee with state funds, 2 jurisdictions get the fee from the noncustodial parent, 1 jurisdiction charges half of the fee to the noncustodial parent and the other half to the custodial parent, and 3 jurisdictions retain the fee from the family's child support payment (after $500 per year has been collected on behalf of the family); the other 2 jurisdictions did not respond to the survey or the issue is still unresolved.
Pages: 6
Date: December 16, 2008