Are YOU Looking For
Indiana Child Support Laws?

Receiving Child Support

Custodial parents receiving TANF or custodial parents, who along with children receiving Medicaid services will be required to pursue services through the local county prosecutor's office. Parents who do not receive TANF or Medicaid are also eligible to receive these services as well. If you need assistance with paternity establishment there is a one-time fee of $25.00 required to start efforts for families not receiving public assistance. There is no fee charged to families who receive TANF or Medicaid.

Establishing Paternity

In Indiana, the law allows you to establish paternity within the first 72 hours after the birth of your child. This can be accomplished when both parents sign a paternity affidavit provided by the State Department of Health. If you and the mother of your child are not married, you should both seriously consider establishing paternity for your child immediately. Paternity is between a father and his child. Some of the benefits of establishing paternity are:

IDENTITY: It is important to know who we are. Your child will benefit from a sense of belonging that comes from knowing both parents.

FINANCIAL: The law requires that both parents support their child. Establishing paternity is the first step in making plans, which can be monitored by the courts, to provide the financial support that your child will need in a way that is fair to both parents.

MEDICAL: A child needs to know if he or she may have inherited any special health problems from either side of the family. Also, it might be possible to obtain medical insurance through a parent's employer, union, or military service.

Your child has the right to other possible benefits from both parents. Many of these benefits may be denied to your child if legal paternity is not established. Some of these benefits may include:

• Social Security from a deceased or disabled parent
• Inheritance Rights
• Veteran's Benefits
• Life Insurance
• Health Insurance

By law, if you sign the paternity affidavit, your name will be listed as the father on the child's birth certificate. If you are not married to the mother of your child at the time your child is born, the state is required to register the child with the mother's last name. If paternity is established by an affidavit, and the mother agrees, you can make sure that your child has your last name.

Programs Available

Every child has the right to the care and support of both parents. The Child Support program enforces this with services that are offered through your Local County Prosecutor's Office.

These services include

• Locating non-custodial parents
• Establishing paternity
• Paternity for the father and mother
• Establishing and enforcing support orders and medical support orders
• Collecting current and past due support payments
• Reviewing and adjusting support orders

Child Support Guidelines

Child support obligations in Indiana are governed by Indiana Child Support Rules and Guidelines. The Child Support Bureau helps Indiana's children and families by enforcing the child support obligations of non-custodial parents. These obligations are what is needed to make sure the children of Indiana are taken care off. There are enforcement tools that Indiana Child Support Uses to enforce and get the child support that is due to the custodial parent.

Enforcement Tools

• Income withholding from the non-custodial parent's employer
• Interception of income tax refunds
• Interception of unemployment compensation benefits
• Interception of lottery winnings
• Credit bureau reporting
• Driver's and professional license suspension
• Financial institution data match
• Cross matching new hire reporting
• Hunting and fishing license suspension
• Passport denial
• Federal loan data matching
• Computer automation of child support operations, including interfaces with numerous other state agency systems.
• Liens,BMV and other personal property.

Indiana Visa Debit Card

The Indiana Child Support Bureau will no longer be printing paper checks for child support payments. All payments posted by the State will be sent to custodial parents electronically. You can use direct deposit or use the new Indiana Visa® Debit Card. This visa card has been in effect since January 2008. This approach allows for a smooth transaction of paying the custodial parent. Electronic payments are safer because it eliminates the possibility of a check being lost, damaged or stolen.

Payment and Customer Service information

Payment information is available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, via Indiana Child Support automated Kids Line System at 1-800-840-8757 or locally at 317-233-5437. An official "certified" computer print out can be obtained from the County Clerk's Office where the support order was entered.

A Customer Service Representative is available via Kids Line from 8:00am until 4:00pm Eastern Standard Time by calling 1-800-840-8757 or locally at 317-233-5437.

Leave indiana child support for division of child support enforcement

Leave indiana child support for child support home

New! Comments