With Maryland Child Support Laws, you and your children no longer have to suffer.
Maryland Child Support
Maryland's Child Support Enforcement Office aims to raise the standard of living for children by "enforcing their right to receive financial support from both of their parents."
This office assists families in the application for and collection of child support payments from parents who are not in the home. The child support enforcement can also help with locating the non-custodial parent, legally establishing paternity, obtaining a court order for child support and medical support, and reviewing and adjusting the amount of child support required in the court order.
Applying For Maryland Child Support
You can apply for child support services by visiting or contacting your local Child Support Enforcement Agency. You can locate your local child support enforcement by visiting the following website:
Maryland Child Support...
Along with your application, you will need to provide as much information as possible regarding your case, so that the enforcement officer can process your application quickly. You should be prepared to provide your full name, birth date, Social Security number, and address; your child's full name, birth date, and a copy of his or her birth certificate; and the full name, birth date, Social Security number, and employment information for the non-custodial parent.
If you are currently receiving Temporary Cash Assistance or Medical Assistance, child support services will be provided by your local Child Support Enforcement Agency free of charge. If you are not receiving any type of state assistance, you will need to complete an application for child support services with your local child support enforcement office and pay an application processing fee $25. This is a one-time fee and the only fee you should have to pay to this office to initiate your child support services.
Establishing Maryland Child Support and Medical Support
The enforcement office will provide several lawyers who will take your child support case to court, so there is no need to hire an attorney. The non-custodial parent will be ordered to pay child support if the case is successful.
The non-custodial parent may also be ordered to provide medical insurance for the child if it can be obtained through the job or any health insurance plan at an affordable rate. If the non-custodial parent provides no health coverage, and if they are employed, the child support office will send a copy of the child support orders to the non-custodial parent’s employer. The employer is requested to enroll the child/children in any health insurance program and to deduct the premium from the non-custodial parent’s pay.
Collecting Maryland Child Support
In Maryland, the most common method of child support payment is income withholding. This process allows the employer to deduct child support payments directly from the non-custodial parent's paycheck, and disburse them to the appropriate state office. Depending upon the status of your case, it may take anywhere from 24-48 hours for you to receive payment after it has been processed by the state.
Enforcing Maryland Child Support
Both federal and Maryland state law, allow for a variety of measures to be used in order to encourage the payment of child support. The CSE Office will withhold child support from the non-custodial parent’s unemployment pay, intercept any tax refund checks to pay back child support payments, report parents who owe past due child support to consumer credit bureaus, assist in the suspension or denial of the non-custodial parent's driver’s license, professional licenses, or recreational licenses, intercept Maryland lottery winnings, refer past due accounts to a private collection agency, and take court action against parents who are delinquent in their child support payments.
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Modifying a Court Order for Child Support or Medical Support
Either parent may periodically request a child support review whenever there has been a significant change in the status of your case. Financial, custody, and employment changes for either parent may be significant grounds to generate a child support review. A review may be requested to reduce or increase the amount of support.
Interstate Child Support Laws
It can be difficult and confusing to pursue a child support case when the non-custodial parent lives in another state. However, your local child support enforcement office can work with you and with the child support enforcement office where your child's other parent resides to locate the party, establish child support obligations, and enforce child support payments.
If you know the non-custodial parent's employment information, the child support enforcement agency may be able to pursue income withholding directly with the non-custodial parent's employer. This process may require a bit more patience than collecting child support from a parent who resides in the same.
