If you are a noncustodial parent (parent not living with your child) and have a current child support order or child support debt that you cannot afford to pay, the NYC Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) may be able to help you.
We know for various reasons, you may owe a lot of child support debt or have an order that is out of line with your income. But we also know that most dads want to pay their child support and we want to help you do that.

Kids who receive income from both parents do better in school and are less likely to grow up in poverty. Dads who pay child support are more likely to be actively involved in their children's lives.

Families receiving cash assistance keep the first $100 ($200 for 2 more children) in child support collected each month. This is in addition to their cash assistance benefits. When the cash assistance case closes, all of the money collected for current support is forwarded to the custodial parent (parent living with and caring for the child). Over 90% of the child support payments collected by OCSE are forwarded to custodial parents to meet the needs of their children.

In an effort to help you, Child Support has developed three programs that work with low-income noncustodial parents (NCPs) to reduce child support orders and arrears (child support debt) owed to the Department of Social Services (DSS).
MDO can help low-income IMCPs who have child support orders that are not based on their current income. If your financial situation has changed since the order was established, or you did not present your financial information in court, MDO could help you.

To Qualify:

• Current child support order with at least one child on cash assistance

• Income below the New York State Self-Support Reserve ($15,512 for 2013) or

• Receiving Cash Assistance. SSI or Medicaid

Benefit to You:

Your child support order may be lowered to make it consistent with New York State guidelines; you can sign an agreement that will reduce the amount of your child support obligation without going to Family Court.
Arrears Cap can put a limit on accumulated child support debt that you owe the government (DSS).

To Qualify:

• Must owe arrears to the government (DSS); not required to have current or active child support order

• Arrears must have built up while NCPs income was below the Federal Poverty Leve! ($11,490 for 2013)

Benefit to You:

Arrears that you owe to DSS may be reduced down to $500; you do not have to return to court.

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