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New Mexico Child Support Laws

Applying for Services

Applying for services is an easy task to do. There a few steps you must take in order to qualify for support services. If you are a TANF, Medicaid, Foster Care or Food Stamp recipient, you will automatically be referred to a child support office for child support services. There is no fee involved. If you are not a TANF, Medicaid, Foster Care or Food Stamp recipient, you can obtain an application for child support services. Fees charged for Non-TANF cases are deducted from child support collections. No more than 10% of any payment goes toward fees. You can pick up and complete an application or Call and visit your local county child support office.

Establishing Paternity

Establishing paternity or legal fatherhood is very important for the child and the father. If a child's parents were not married to each other when the child was born, the law does not recognize the father unless paternity is legally established. Establishing paternity will give your child the same rights and benefits as children born to parents that are legally married.

These rights and benefits include:

• Father's name is on the birth certificate
• Legal proof and identity of the child's parents
• Family medical history
• Financial support from both parents
• Including child support
• Social Security and/or Veteran Benefits

Establishing paternity gives the father and mother legal rights to seek a court order for medical and child support. These benefits are the structure of your Childs life. Without these benefits your child will have a hard time getting what they deserve. Establishing paternity ensures you can provide for your child even when the unexpected occurs.A person who has signed an Affidavit of Parentage claiming to be the parent of a child may cancel the Affidavit by completing a Rescission Form for Affidavit of Parentage and signing and dating it in the presence of a notary public within sixty 60 days of the date the Affidavit was signed by both parties. If more than sixty days have passed from the date the Affidavit was signed, the Rescission Form will NOT cancel the Affidavit. If the Parents signed on different dates, count from the date that the last party signed. After the expiration of the sixty day period, the Affidavit can only be nullified by a court order, upon a finding of fraud, duress or material mistake of fact.

The non-custodial parent has left the state, what do I do?

If you know the state where the non-custodial parent has moved, New Mexico Child Support can contact the Child Support Enforcement Agency in the other state and determine if the parent has indeed moved to that state. If there is a confirmation, the case can be transferred to the other state.

If you are not certain of the state where the non-custodial parent has moved, New Mexico Child Support Division can send a request to the Federal Parent Locator Service. The FPLS has access to a number of records such as:

• The Department of Defense
• The National Personnel Records Center
• Social Security Administration

Note:

Beginning October 1, 1997, New Mexico Child Support began reporting newly hired employees to a National Directory of New Hires - which is now a part of the Federal Parent Locator Service.

Fresh Start Arrears Management Program

New Mexico Child Support Enforcement Agency has a program that can help you get a fresh start on child support. You might be eligible to renegotiate your past due amounts to a dollar figure that is more manageable in exchange for a lump sum payment or more reliable payments to the custodial parent. Together, you and New Mexico Child Support can have that fresh start by looking at the specifics of your case and getting it to a point that is more manageable, or where you can pay it off earlier.

To be eligible for the "Fresh Start" Arrears Management Program, your child support case must meet at least one of the following criteria:

• All dependents are emancipated
• The most current order is solely for collection of arrears (New Mexico Child Support Division is not collecting ongoing child support)
• The parties have reconciled and are cohabitating
• The non-custodial parent must pay at least a three months lump sum payment (ongoing child support plus payment toward arrears) or must have met his/her last three months obligation (ongoing New Mexico Child Support plus payment towards arrears). (Involuntary payments, i.e. tax intercepts, FIDM, bond payments do not count toward the monthly obligation or lump sum requirement.)

If the case meets one of the above criteria, the case must also have over $1,000.00 of arrears assigned to the State of New Mexico.Cases where the custodial parent is actively receiving TANF funds are not eligible for the Arrears Management Program.

Modification

The New Mexico Child Support Enforcement Division may review child support orders every three years, or if either parent requests a review. A modification is a court-approved change in terms of an order for maintenance or support because of one of the following conditions:

• Substantially increased or decreased earnings of a party
• Substantially increased or decreased need of a party or the child
• Receipt of public assistance
• A change in the cost of living for either party
• Extraordinary medical expenses of the child
• Substantial increase or decrease in work-related or education-related child care expenses
• Emancipation of the child

New Mexico Child Support Customer Service

County Office 0

Serving San Juan & McKinley counties
1800 East 30th St.
Farmington, NM 87401-8940
Mon-Fri 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

County Office 1

Serving Dona Ana & Sierra counties
653 Utah Ave
Las Cruces, NM 88001
Mon-Fri 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM

County Office 2

Serving N. Bernalillo & Torrance counties
1000 18th ST NW
Albuquerque, NM 87104
Mon-Fri 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

County Office 3

Serving San Miguel, Guadalupe, Union, Colfax, & Mora counties
3112 Hot Springs Blvd.
Las Vegas, NM 87701
Mon-Fri 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

County Office 4
Satellite Office: Taos county
145 Roy Road
Taos, NM 87571
Mon-Fri 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

County Office 5

Santa Fe, Rio Arriba & Los Alamos counties
2542 Cerrillos Road
Ste. A
Santa Fe, NM 87505
Mon-Fri 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

County Office 6

Serving Chaves, & Eddy counties
2732 North Wilshire Blvd
.Roswell, NM 88201
Mon-Fri 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

County Office 7

Serving S. Bernalillo county
1015 Tijeras, NW
Suite 100
Albuquerque, NM 87102-2909
Mon-Fri 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

County Office 8

Serving Navajo Nation - Crownpoint
1/2 block west of the Eastern Navajo Agency BIA building in the old Post Office
P.O. Box 1940
Crownpoint, NM 87313
Mon-Fri 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

County Office 9

Serving Navajo NationShip Rock
Navajo Nation Shopping Center
Hwy 666, Space #5
Shiprock, NM 87420
Mon-Fri 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
P.O. Box 3499
Shiprock, NM 87420
[Navajo CSE - Navajo Nation - Window Rock]
Tribal Hill Road
Building #W008-104
Window Rock, AZ 86515
Mon-Fri 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
P.O. Box 7050
Window Rock, AZ 86515

County Office 10

Serving Curry, De Baca, Harding, Quay & Roosevelt counties
3316 North Main Street
Suite B
Clovis, NM 88101
Mon-Fri 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

County Office 11

Serving Grant, & Hildalgo counties
3088 32 Street By-Pass
Suite B
Silver City, NM 88061
Mon-Fri 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

County Office 12

Satellite Office: Luna county
910 E. Pear
Deming, NM 88030
Mon-Fri 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
P.O. Box 750
Deming, NM 88030

County Office 14

Serving Cibola, & Valencia counties
445 Camino Del Rey - Suite C
Los Lunas, NM 87031
Mon-Fri 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

County Office 15

Serving Sandoval county
4363 Jager Drive
Rio Rancho, NM 87114
Mon-Fri 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

County Office 16

Serving Lea county
2120 North Alto
Suite 110
Hobbs, NM 88240
Mon-Fri 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

County Office 17

Serving Catron & Socorro counties
1014 North California
Socorro, NM 87801
Mon-Fri 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

County Office 18

Serving Lincoln & Otero counties
2000 Juniper Drive
Alamogordo NM 88310
Mon-Fri 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

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