Child Support
The Office of Child Support is responsible for establishing and enforcing court orders for child support and establishing paternity for children born out of wedlock. These services are required for persons receiving Income Maintenance and are available to anyone who completes the application for services.Every child needs financial and emotional support and every child has the right to support from both parents. Minnesota’s child support program benefits children by enforcing parental responsibility for their support.
The Child Support Enforcement Division supervises the child support program. County child support offices administer it by working with parents to establish and enforce support orders. The child support program helps:
- children receive the financial support, medical support, and child care support they deserve
- families work toward becoming and remaining self-sufficient
- parents establish a financial partnership.
Child support agencies provide services for:
- parents and guardians applying for services
- locating parents
- establishing parentage
- establishing and enforcing court orders for child support, medical support, and child care support
- reviewing and modifying court orders for support
- adjusting court orders based on the cost-of-living index
- working with other states to enforce support when one parent does not live in Minnesota
- collecting and processing payments
- closing cases
Child support agencies do not help with:
- divorces
- parenting time and custody
- spousal maintenance (alimony) establishment
- legal advice or counsel
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