Office of Child Support Services

• Any custodial parent, guardian or caretaker of a child.

Any parent or nonparent caregiver acting as guardian of at least one child under the age of 21 is eligible to apply for child support services.

• Any non-custodial parent of a child who lives with the custodial parent, guardian or caretaker.

A noncustodial parent or putative (alleged) father may apply or be eligible for child support services.

NOTE: If you are currently receiving Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid or Title IV-E Foster Care for children in your custody, you do not have to apply for child support services as they are provided automatically upon application for these benefits. However, you will need to cooperate by completing the Child Support Enrollment Form and complying with OCSS requirements.

• Your full name
• Your date of birth
• Your Social Security Number
• Your address and telephone number
• Child(ren)'s name(s)
• Copy of child(ren)'s birth certificate(s)
• Child(ren)'s Social Security Number(s)
• Copies of any child support orders
• Copy of your most recent paycheck stub
• Information regarding marital status at the time of the child(ren)'s birth
• Information regarding any government assistance you have received for you or the child
• Information regarding family health insurance coverage which may be available
• Information regarding childcare expenses
• Information regarding educational expenses

Also include non-custodial parent information such as:

• Full legal name
• Date of birth
• Social Security Number
• Present and past addresses and telephone numbers
• Present and past employer names, addresses and telephone numbers
• Copy of most recent paycheck stub and tax return
• List of assets
• Drivers, professional, business, or occupational license number(s)
• Information on friends/relatives

Yes. You will be asked to come in for an interview.  At that time, a child support worker will review the application and gather information to determine what action(s) should be taken next.

Possible actions include locating an absent parent, establishing paternity and obtaining a court order for child support.

Information from the application will be used to set up a computerized case record to process and keep track of the status of your case.

Once the family court has established an Order of Support payable through the WC OCSS, it may take two to four weeks before you begin receiving money.

The family court will prepare a court order, showing the amount and frequency of the child support to be paid, and forward the order to the OCSS.

The OCSS will issue an Income Execution to the non-custodial parent's employer, if one is known. The money due will be deducted from that parent's salary.

By law, the employer must deduct the specified amount beginning with the first pay period that occurs within fourteen days after it receives notice and mail payments to the NYS Child Support Processing Center in Albany.

The employer must forward the payments no later than seven days after the non-custodial parent's wages are deducted, according to the frequency of its payment.

It takes an average five to seven days for the processing center to forward the money received.

If the sum is $1,000 or more, the processing center must wait until the check clears at the bank before child support payments are disbursed.

A non-custodial parent is obligated to keep payments current, making them directly until they come out of the paychecks.

Custodial parents may be charged a service fee once a year. The fee is $35 and applies only when all of these conditions are met:

• The custodial parent has never received assistance through Family Assistance or Safety Net Assistance.
• Child support is being paid to the family.
• More than $550 of support is collected and paid to the family during the federal fiscal year (October 1–September 30)

Most OCSS activities can be performed for you by an OCSS worker. However, a lawyer may be desirable for activities such as the preparation of depositions, subpoenas, objections and appeals.

Certain court activities such as the examination of witnesses and the introduction of evidence may also require a lawyer.

If you do not have a private attorney, you may retain the services of an Assistant County Attorney for child support services at a cost of $228 per hour.

Payment for the services will be deducted from your child support payments at the rate of 25 percent of the child support received.

Out-of-State: If your child's non-custodial parent lives outside of New York State, you can still work with the Office of Child Support Services program to establish parentage and/or get a support order. 

Federal laws requires that state programs help out-of-state custodial parents get child support from residents of other states.

Out-of-Country: If your child’s non-custodial parent lives outside of the United States, you can also still work with the the Office of Child Support Services to establish paternity and/or get a support order.

There are 18 countries with which New York States and the United States have reciprocal agreements.

You can help us with all aspects of your case by doing the following things:

• Whenever you have questions, call the New York State Child Support Customer Service Helpline  at (888) 208-4485, toll free, Monday - Friday 8:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. (except holidays).
• Contact the Helpline when your address, telephone number or employer changes. Include your name, the absent parent's name, your social security number and account number.
• Tell us about changes in the absent parent's employment, address, telephone number or if you have additional information.
• Promptly return requests for written information.
• Tell us if you are working with a private attorney or agency to collect your child support and if the attorney or agency files any legal documents in court that deal with your child support. Make sure you tell the private attorney or agency that you have a case with us.
• Provide us with copies of all court orders that pertain to your case.

Also, tell us of any important changes affecting your case, such as:

• Your child reaches 21 years of age
• Someone else adopts your child
• Your child marries
• Your child no longer lives with you
• Your child is deceased
• You and the non-custodial parent decide to live together or marry
• Either parent goes to jail
• Either parent dies

The more information you can provide about yourself and the other parent, the better we can help.