Arizona Division of Child Support Enforcement, or DCSE, provides assistance if you are seeking child support payments, looking to establish paternity or trying to enforce a child support order. DCSE helps parents or any other people who have a child in their care. Custodians who are not receiving public assistance are charged $25 per year for DCSE services. Fees do not apply if a child support order is not established.
Eligibility
DCSE services are available to any person caring for a dependent child or a noncustodial parent looking to establish paternity. A current child support order is not required. If you are a foster parent or receiving public assistance, a child-support case is automatically referred to DCSE. Applications for child support are available online, at the DCSE office, or--if you request--by mail.
Child Support Order
Proof of legal obligation is required to establish a child support order. According to the Arizona Department of Economic Security, applicants must prove paternity, show proof of legal separation if married, or not have a child support order established as the result of a divorce. DCSE does not generate child-support orders. They will assist you with locating the noncustodial parent and making a plea to the Arizona courts. Only the court can declare an order for child support. When determining the amount of a child support order, the courts will consider income, ability to pay, amount of time spent with the child, cost of care, and the number of other dependents.
Collection
After a child-support order is established, DCSE is required to issue an income withholding order. Income withholding orders allow for deduction of current and past due child support from a noncustodial parent's salary. Past due child support is subject to collection via income tax refund withholding, workers compensation benefits, withholding on lottery payouts larger than $600, confiscation of assets and property liens.
Nonpayment of court-ordered child support may result in imprisonment, negative reporting to credit bureaus, revocation of a driver's license, and passport denial.
