Child Support

• 1. My ex-spouse owes child support. What is the Treasury Offset Program (TOP) and how can it assist me with payment collection?
  
  
• 2. My federal payment was reduced, but I do not owe any debt to the United States Government, or past-due child support. What should I do?
  
  
• 3. My federal payment was reduced two months ago for delinquent child support. The state has not received the money. Where is it?
  
  

1. My ex-spouse owes child support. What is the Treasury Offset Program (TOP) and how can it assist me with payment collection?

If your ex-spouse is a federal payment recipient, the TOP allows the state to offset certain types of federal payments in order to collect the delinquent child support owed. Contact your state or local child-support enforcement office to determine whether federal payments to your ex-spouse can be offset through TOP.

For additional information contact the Department of Health and Human Services Office Child-Support Enforcement at (202) 401-9373.

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2. My payment was reduced, but I do not owe any debt to the United States, and I do not owe any past-due child support. What should I do?

Contact the federal or state agency collecting the debt which is listed in the notice you received.

If you need information about whom to contact, call the Treasury Offset Program Call Center toll-free at (800) 304-3107.

If your debt has been paid in full, or if you do not owe a debt, the federal agency that authorized FMS to collect the debt is responsible for returning any part of your payment that should not have been taken from you.

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3. My federal payment was reduced two months ago for delinquent child support. The state has not received the money. Where is it?

Funds collected by the Treasury from your federal payment are sent to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the federal liaison office with the states on child-support enforcement. HHS disburses the funds to the states. To obtain information on the status of a support payment, you should request the state to contact HHS directly.

Related Resources:

• State Child Support Enforcement Offices
  
  
• Office Child-Support Enforcement
  Department of Health and Human Services
  (202) 401-9373
  
  
• Treasury Offset Program Call Center
  (800) 304-3107