NC Child Support Enforcement, Child Support Payments

Child Support Enforcement (CSE) is a national program. It helps ensures that both the father and the mother of a child take responsibility for support to the best of their ability. The CSE program provides services to the custodians of minor children – regardless of income levels.

CSE agents can help custodial parents locate noncustodial parents. Agents also assist in paternity actions and court petition for child support payments. Once a court order has been established, the noncustodial parent sends payments to the CSE’s Centralized Collections Operation which manages the collections history and disperses payments to the custodial parent.

• Learn more about Child Support Enforcement in NC
• Learn about Interstate Child Support Enforcement

CSE agents can enforce child support orders and initiate legal action against the noncustodial parent for non-payment – including wage garnishment and intercepting tax refunds. Agents contract with attorneys to represent the agency in civil court actions and keep any information they receive confidential.

Do you need help with a NC Child Support Agreement?

Our child support attorneys have the experience you need to develop an agreement that best fits your needs, and those of your child. Charles R. Ullman is a certified Family Law Specialist in NC and can guide you through the process. We offer information on child support laws in NC to help you better understand how you can protect your child support needs.

North Carolina CSE Organization

North Carolina’s CSE agency falls under North Carolina’s Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS). DHHS has designated the Division of Social Services (DSS) to manage the CSE program. Although counties can manage their CSE programs in different ways, the same regulations, laws and state policies apply.

The Automated Collection and Tracking System System

The N.C. CSE program uses ACTS (Automated Collection and Tracking System). ACTS is a statewide computer system which receives and shares data with more than thirty (30) state, federal and private agencies.

The NC ACTS System is used to:

• Add/update cases;
• Enter/modify court order data after a hearing;
• Review payment and collection activities;
• Perform enforcement activities such as income withholding, assets attachment and tax intercepts; document activities in the case record online;
• Interact with CSE agencies in other states.

Child Support Guidelines and Calculations

North Carolina General Statute Section 50-13.4 discusses statewide presumptive guidelines for determining the child support obligations of parents. The guidelines are periodically reviewed to make sure they are resulting in fair child support orders.

The North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services (NCDHHS) has more information on N.C. child support guidelines and a calculator to help you determine the amount for which you might be entitled.

You’ll find these helpful sections on that website:

• Applicability and Deviation: This section explains when the support guidelines apply and what factors family law judges must consider before deviating from those guidelines.
• Retroactive Child Support: Are you entitled to child support before the date that a support action was filed? This section explains when family courts may award “retroactive child support.”
• Self-Support Reserve; Supporting Parents with Low Incomes: This section discusses how support is set for parents with incomes at or near the federal poverty level.
• Determination of Support in Cases involving High Combined Income: This section addresses how support is determined when couples have annual adjusted gross incomes of $300,000 or more. In those instances, the court bases support on “the reasonable needs of the child for health, education, and maintenance, having due regard to the estates, earnings, conditions, accustomed standard of living of the child and the parties, the child care and homemaker contributions of each party, and other facts of the particular case.”
• Assumptions and Expenses Included In Schedule of Basic Child Support Obligations: North Carolina’s child support model is based on an “income shares” model, which states the child should receive the same proportion of parental income he or she would have received if the child’s parents lived together.
• Income: This section defines “gross income,” and also discusses what courts may do if a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed. It also describes how income can be verified through pay stubs and income tax returns.
• Pre-existing Child Support Obligations and Responsibility for Other Child(ren): This section describes what courts
• Child Care Costs: This section sets out monthly child care costs that are incurred when a parent is working or search for a job. Child care costs may be added to the basic child support obligation and prorated between the parents according to their incomes. The costs are set out for 1-6 children and range from $1,850 to $3,700.
• Health Insurance and Health Care Costs: This section discusses how medical and dental costs for children are to be paid, and when the court may order a parent to obtain health insurance.
• Other Extraordinary Expenses: This section addresses how to handle expenses related to private schooling or special educational needs as well as transportation costs as the child travels between each parent’s home.
• Child Support Worksheets: A child support worksheet is provided that shows the Proposed Monthly Basic Child Support Obligations. The support calculator looks at the couple’s combined adjusted gross income and the number of children to arrive at a proposed monthly basic child support obligation.
• Modification: This section describes what factors amount to a “substantial change of circumstances,” allowing a modification of an existing child support order.

Getting Help

• Applying for Child Support Enforcement Services. Click here to apply for Child Support Enforcement Services.
• Managing Your Current Case. Anyone with a child support case can get information on their case through the Internet (echildsupport) or by telephone (1-800-992-9457). Personalized assistance is also available between 7:30am and 7:30pm, but there is an automated Interactive Voice Response Unit (IVR) available 24 hours per day.

NC Child Support Enforcement (CSE) Agency Information By County:

About Charles R. Ullman & Associates

Charles Ullman & Associates provides you respected, experienced and knowledgeable divorce and family law attorneys. You can trust us to help you through the legal process efficiently and effectively so you can transition to the next phase of your life. Our community involvement reaches beyond charitable support of important causes. We launched our own movement in Fraternities4Family and provide scholarships to able students in need.