How to Pay Child Support Online
By Teo Spengler
Updated March 15, 2018
Whatever you think of the child support amount that a court ordered you to pay, it’s important to get those payments made on time and to have a record that you did so. That’s one of the benefits of paying child support online, but not the only one. Paying child support online is quicker, easier and more secure than writing a check, and you don’t even have to see your ex if that’s an issue. You can pay online using private child support payment platforms like ExpertPay, or, depending on where you live, you can use your state’s online payment system.
Tips
You can make your child support by accessing your state's child support enforcement online payment system or by using a private platform like ExpertPay.
Paying Child Support Online
All parents are required to support their minor children financially, and often, this duty is enforced following a divorce via court-ordered child support payments. Generally, the non-custodial parent is ordered to pay the custodial parent an amount every month to help pay for the children’s expenses. If parents share custody, the court may order the parent who earns a higher wage to pay child support to the parent who earns less to ensure that each parent has the finances to provide for the kids’ needs.
If you are ordered to pay child support, you probably know how important it is to make those payments regularly. It’s important to the children, since they need housing, food, clothes, school supplies and sundries every month. It’s also important for you, however, since failure to pay court-ordered child support can result in fines; civil penalties, such as inability to get a passport; and even jail time.
But getting that check into the mail on time to meet the deadline every month can be a challenge, especially for a parent who travels a lot. Even if you pay on a timely basis, the check can get lost in the mail, misdelivered or stolen. And, if the relationship between your former spouse is unpleasant, you may not relish a visit with your ex to hand over the monthly amount. Paying your obligation online takes care of all of these problems.
Paying Through Your State’s Online Payment System
Not every state offers an online child support payment option, but many do. For example, you can pay online to California’s State Disbursement Unit, New York’s NYS Child Support Processing Center, or Massachusetts’ Child Support Payment website.
If you live in a state different from the other parent and your children, you will have to use the child support payment option in their state, not yours. The child support award must be registered with the agency, so if the custodial parent hasn’t done so, you may have to do it yourself. The noncustodial parent also may need to register by providing identification information, including a Social Security number. But once the agency has the necessary information about your case, paying is a breeze. For, example, in California, you can pay using your Visa card, Mastercard, checking account or savings account.
Paying Through a Private Platform Like ExpertPay
ExpertPay is a private platform that allows you to make child support payments. As a non-custodial parent, you just need to register with your personal information at Expertpay.com. From then on, you can pay online with just a click.
Some states, such as New Jersey, partner with ExpertPay to allow online payments, so you will be directed to the ExpertPay website to pay. However, you can use ExpertPay to make child support payments in any state.
Other private platforms exist, some linked to particular states, others not. For example, Child Support Bill Pay, powered by Value Payment Systems, works with Indiana Child Support Payment Services to provide online payment options.
References
Resources
Tips
- Call your local CSEA and find out how long it is until they receive this payment. It's usually 7 to 10 days, but its better to be sure.
- ACH is free unless you live in any of the nine states you'll find in the Fees section. The fees are all under $1.
Warnings
- Using a credit card costs around $12 to $16.
Writer Bio
With a Master's in English, a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, and J.D. from U.C. Berkeley's law school, Teo Spengler is up on education. She splits her home time between San Francisco and France. A perpetual student and frequent teacher, she is also a writer and world traveler. Her work has appeared in numerous online publications including USA Today, Legal Zoom, eHow Business, Livestrong, SF Gate, Arizona Central, Fairmont Houston Chronicle, Navy Federal Credit Union, Pearson, Quicken.com, TurboTax.com, and numerous attorney websites.