DC Child Support Guide

Who runs it

The Office of the Attorney General’s Child Support Services Division (CSSD); DC Superior Court sets the orders

Main phone

CSSD Customer Service, (202) 442-9900

Online account

Online Case Lookup (OCL), also in the CSSD Mobile app

How support is calculated

Based on both parents’ incomes before taxes; each parent pays their share of an amount from DC’s schedule

Support usually ends

At 21, or earlier if the child marries, joins the military, or supports themselves

Interest on past-due support

None; the District doesn’t charge interest on past-due child support

Fees

No yearly fee for either parent (the District pays the federal $35 fee); CSSD’s paper application package lists a one-time $5 fee

Payment card

Platinum smiONE Visa Prepaid Card, (855) 403-8350

In DC, the Office of the Attorney General’s Child Support Services Division (CSSD) runs child support, and DC Superior Court sets every order. Here’s how a CSSD case works:

• CSSD finds parents, establishes parentage, asks the court for support orders, and enforces them. Its attorneys represent the District, not either parent.
• DC Superior Court’s Family Court sets and changes orders after a hearing. Parents who mostly agree can use CSSD’s Conciliation Process instead: a virtual meeting with a CSSD attorney and a consent order that a judge signs, usually without a court appearance.
• The DC Child Support Clearinghouse receives every payment and sends it out to the parent the child lives with.

Do I get child support if I receive TANF?

While you get DC TANF, current support goes to the District, except a pass-through each month that you keep on top of your TANF benefits. DC law sets the pass-through at up to $200 of current support a month since Oct. 1, 2025, though OAG’s pass-through page still says $150.

DC child support is based on both parents’ incomes before taxes: DC’s schedule sets a yearly amount for your combined income, and the parent the child doesn’t mainly live with pays their share of it.

For example, if one parent earns $60,000 a year before taxes, the other earns $40,000, and the child lives with the lower earner, DC’s schedule amount for one child is $16,046 a year. The higher earner has 60% of the combined income, so they pay $9,627.60 a year, or about $802 a month. For two children it’s about $1,086 a month, and for three, $1,223. These examples assume no child care, health insurance, or other children in either home. OAG says its calculator gives an estimate only, not a promise of what the court will order.

How is child support calculated in DC?

• Income: DC’s child support guideline counts gross income from almost any source, including wages, overtime, tips, bonuses, self-employment income, Social Security, unemployment, workers’ compensation, and pensions. TANF, SSI, and SNAP don’t count.
• Deductions: half of a self-employed parent’s Social Security and Medicare tax, alimony paid to the other parent in the case, child support you actually pay for other children, and an allowance for other children you support who live with you.
• Add-ons: the child’s health insurance premiums, uninsured medical costs over $250 a year per child, and child care needed for work or school are split by income and added.
• Low income: If the paying parent’s income is below DC’s self-support reserve (133% of the federal poverty guideline for one person), the guideline presumes $75 a month, and a judge can set more or less with written reasons. Otherwise, support usually can’t be more than the parent’s income above the reserve.
• Cap: Total support, including add-ons, can’t be more than 35% of the paying parent’s income.
• High income: Above $240,000 a year combined, the judge decides the amount, but it can’t be less than the guideline amount at $240,000.
• Missing income information: If a parent was served and didn’t come to court or share income information, the court can order $75 a month.
• Deviations: A judge can order a different amount for reasons such as a child’s exceptional needs, and must explain why in writing.

Do you pay child support with 50/50 custody in DC?

Usually, yes, but less. When a child spends at least 35% of the year (128 days) with each parent, DC uses its shared custody formula: the schedule amount is multiplied by 1.5 and split by income, each parent keeps the part of their share that matches their time with the child, and the parent who owes more pays the difference. The result can’t be more than the sole custody amount, and either parent can argue the formula is unfair for their actual arrangement.

With equal time, one child, and incomes of $60,000 and $40,000 a year, the higher earner pays about $201 a month. The court’s child support page puts it simply: when a child lives with both parents about equally, the parent who makes more may still pay. Support is $0 only when incomes and time are both equal.

How does health insurance work for my kids in DC?

If your kids have DC Healthy Families (DC Medicaid), your support order still has to provide medical support for each child, through health insurance, cash medical support, or both. OAG’s medical support page explains the rules:

• Job-based insurance: The court orders a parent to cover the kids when a plan is accessible (available for at least a year, with primary care within 30 minutes or 30 miles) and costs no more than 5% of that parent’s gross income.
• Cash medical support: If no such plan is available, or insurance doesn’t cover all of a child’s medical costs, the court orders cash medical support.
• Premiums: The extra cost of adding the kids to a plan is split by income and added to support. If adding them costs nothing, there’s no adjustment.
• Uncovered costs: Copays, deductibles, dental, vision, and similar costs over $250 a year per child are split by income. Regular, predictable costs go into the order; others are split as they come up, and the other parent pays their part within 30 days of written proof.
• Through an employer: CSSD sends the employer a National Medical Support Notice, and sends one to a new employer within 2 business days of the new hire report. If there’s more than one plan, you have 10 business days to choose or CSSD picks one. If the coverage costs more than you can afford, call CSSD at (202) 442-9900 and ask about a review.

Medicaid families are referred to CSSD; see which benefits open a child support case.

To apply for child support in DC, fill out CSSD’s online enrollment form if your children don’t get TANF or Medicaid; if they do, call or email CSSD instead.

• Who can apply: the child’s primary custodian. There’s no income requirement.
• Online: You create an account to submit the form, any time, from a computer or phone. CSSD staff then contact you with next steps. No internet? Call (202) 442-9900.
• On TANF or Medicaid: Your benefits case is sent to CSSD automatically. Contact CSSD at (202) 442-9900 or cssdcustomerservice@dc.gov.
• Fees: CSSD’s paper Basic Services Package lists a one-time $5 application fee, paid by check or money order to the D.C. Treasurer; the online enrollment pages don’t mention a fee. Neither parent pays a yearly fee.
• What to gather: The package asks for copies of any support, custody, or divorce orders, the child’s birth certificate and any Acknowledgment of Paternity, proof of income, proof of DC residency, and a government ID.

CSSD then finds the other parent if needed, establishes parentage, and prepares a petition. DC Superior Court sets the order, usually at a hearing, and the court mails the hearing notices. CSSD says it has delays filing new cases with the court. If you and the other parent mostly agree, ask about the Conciliation Process at (202) 724-1546.

You can also file your own Petition to Establish Parentage and/or for Child Support at the Family Court Central Intake Center (Moultrie Courthouse, Room JM-540), any time from the fourth month of pregnancy until the child turns 21. The filing fee is $80, and you can ask the court to waive it.

How do I establish paternity in DC?

Married parents and registered domestic partners are presumed to be parents. Unmarried parents can sign an Acknowledgment of Paternity at the hospital or birthing center, or later at the DC Department of Health’s Vital Records Division or through CSSD. It’s notarized, both parents need a photo ID, and the child must have been born in DC. DC law lets either parent cancel it within 60 days, or sooner if a court or agency case about the child starts first. If you’re unsure, CSSD says private genetic tests cost at least $300, but once you have a CSSD case, testing is free or low cost.

Yes for DC TANF and DC Medicaid: OAG says those cases are sent to CSSD automatically, and TANF requires you to cooperate unless you have good cause. SNAP doesn’t require it.

• DC TANF (cash assistance): Yes. OAG’s case management page says TANF families must cooperate with CSSD. If you don’t, CSSD refers your case to the Department of Human Services for a sanction that may cut your TANF by 25%. While you get TANF, current support goes to the District; see what you still get.
• DC Healthy Families (DC Medicaid): Yes, a referral. OAG’s receiving support page says a Medicaid case opened in DC is sent to CSSD automatically, and that you agree to cooperate with child support and to assign support rights to repay the District for benefits.
• SNAP: No. USDA’s SNAP State Options Report lists DC among the places that don’t make parents cooperate with child support to get food benefits.
• Child care subsidy: No requirement listed. The DC Child Care Subsidy Program policy manual doesn’t list child support cooperation, and child support you receive isn’t counted as income.

Cooperating means helping CSSD with parentage and the support case. If you have good cause not to cooperate, you file a claim form and evidence with CSSD, and you can ask for a fair hearing if it’s denied. If you don’t get TANF and don’t cooperate, CSSD may close your case.

Most DC child support is paid by wage withholding, and you can also pay the DC Child Support Clearinghouse online, by phone, with cash at stores, or by mail. OAG says withholding can take several weeks to start, and you have to pay yourself until it does. Some employers charge about $2 per deduction.

• SMART Pay (online): Pay by credit or debit card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover), or with Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, or Venmo linked to a card. Card payments cost 2.5% of the payment. You can also set up one-time or recurring bank drafts; the payment site says you get credit the next business day that a draft is scheduled to come out. SMART Pay needs its own registration, and OAG’s flyer says a new account takes 7 to 10 business days to start.
• Card by phone: OAG’s payment page lists (855) 702-2270 for card payments through CSSD’s phone system. The 2.5% card fee applies.
• PayNearMe (cash): Pay at stores such as CVS Pharmacy, 7-Eleven, and Family Dollar with your case number. It costs $1.99 per payment, up to $1,000, and OAG’s PayNearMe FAQ says to allow 3 to 4 business days for it to post.
• Mail: a check or money order payable to “District of Columbia (DC) Child Support Clearinghouse,” with your name, case number, and Social Security number, to DC Child Support Clearinghouse, PO Box 37715, Washington, DC 20013-7715.
• Not at the courthouse: DC Superior Court says not to bring payments there.

If a bank draft bounces, the payment site says your automatic payments are canceled and you’ll have to pay by money order, cashier’s check, or certified check from then on.

I made a payment, but it hasn’t posted. What should I do?

1. Keep your confirmation number, receipt, or money order stub until the payment posts.
2. Wait the posting time for your method (3 to 4 business days for PayNearMe, the next business day after the scheduled date for a bank draft), then check Online Case Lookup or call CSSD at (202) 442-9900. Mailed payments take longer.
3. Still missing? Call the Clearinghouse at (202) 370-1470 with the date, amount, and confirmation number. For a PayNearMe payment, call PayNearMe at (888) 714-0004. If it came from your paycheck, ask your employer too; employers must send it within 7 business days after payday.

What happens to child support when I change jobs?

You don’t set up withholding yourself. DC employers report new hires within 20 days, and CSSD sends your new employer a withholding order. DC law requires you to tell CSSD and the court about a new employer within 10 days. Call CSSD at (202) 442-9900, and keep paying yourself until the deductions start: OAG says you’re responsible for payments between the end of withholding at one job and the start at the next.

If you’re self-employed, give CSSD your business address and every name you do business under, and pay through SMART Pay, PayNearMe, or the mail.

No, not if you want it to count. DC law requires support orders to say that payments must go through the District’s Collection and Disbursement Unit (the Clearinghouse), and that any other payment is a gift that doesn’t reduce what you owe.

• Which orders: The rule covers every CSSD case, private orders first entered in DC since Jan. 1, 1994 once withholding has started, and any order a court sends through the Clearinghouse.
• You could pay twice. A payment the Clearinghouse never received still shows as owed, and enforcement can follow that balance.
• Other private orders: If your case isn’t with CSSD, withholding never started, and the court didn’t send payments through the Clearinghouse, follow what your order says, and keep canceled checks, receipts, and bank records for every payment.
• If you get TANF, current support is assigned to the District. Talk to your TANF worker before accepting money directly.

Can I use PayPal, Venmo, or Cash App?

You can use PayPal or Venmo, and also Apple Pay or Google Pay, through SMART Pay with a linked card, and the money goes to the Clearinghouse. Cash App and Zelle aren’t listed. Money you send the other parent through any app doesn’t go through the Clearinghouse, so it counts as a gift under DC law.

What if I already paid the other parent directly?

DC law says payments outside the Clearinghouse don’t reduce what you owe, and we found no CSSD procedure for crediting them. When a court first sets support and back support (up to 24 months before the case was filed), DC’s guideline credits voluntary payments you can prove. Keep canceled checks, receipts, and messages, get free legal help before your hearing, and pay through the Clearinghouse from now on.

Check your DC case in Online Case Lookup (OCL), also in the CSSD Mobile app, or call CSSD’s automated line at (202) 442-9900. OCL shows your case status, court date, order amount, recent payments, and past-due balance, and you can request an address change or payment history there.

To register, choose New User Registration and enter your Social Security number, birth date, IV-D case number, and the PIN you use for CSSD’s phone line. Your case number is on your court order. No PIN? Request one on the OCL sign-in page or through the phone line; CSSD mails it to your address on file within 5 to 7 business days and can’t give it out by phone. For sign-in trouble, call (202) 724-4144 or email cssdocl@dc.gov. Paying online needs a separate SMART Pay account.

DC pays child support by direct deposit or a child support debit card if you sign up for one; otherwise, OAG’s payments page says CSSD sends a paper check. Electronic payments are faster, and OAG says to allow up to 10 business days for a check.

How do I set up direct deposit?

1. Fill out the Electronic Payment Application Form. Fill in every block for direct deposit, into a checking or savings account. Direct deposit is free.
2. Email it to state.disbursement@dc.gov, fax it to (202) 585-0982, or mail it to CSSD, 400 6th Street NW, Suite 8300, Washington, DC 20001, ATTN: SDU Manager.
3. Questions? Call (202) 724-7728. To stop electronic payments, send CSSD’s FMU Manager a written request with each case number, by fax or mail.

I haven’t received my child support payment. What should I do?

1. Check Online Case Lookup, or call (202) 442-9900 for recent payments.
2. Nothing received? The other parent or their employer may not have paid yet; withholding follows the other parent’s paydays, and CSSD says it can’t guarantee steady payments. Call CSSD. If a payment is on hold, CSSD asks its Financial Management staff to look into it; allow 30 days.
3. Payment sent? For a check, wait 10 business days, then call the Clearinghouse at (202) 370-1470. For direct deposit, check with your bank first, then the Clearinghouse. For the card, call smiONE at (855) 403-8350.
4. Tax refund money can be held 1 to 6 months, and debts owed to the District are paid first.

The DC smiONE card is the Platinum smiONE Visa Prepaid Card, which OAG calls the District of Columbia Electronic Payment Card. The Bancorp Bank issues it, and you sign up with the same Electronic Payment Application Form used for direct deposit (fill in only the gray blocks).

• Customer service: (855) 403-8350, 24 hours a day.
• Website: smionecard.com.
• App: the Platinum smiONE Visa Prepaid app, for iPhone on the App Store or Android on Google Play.
• Fees: CSSD doesn’t charge for the card. OAG’s card letter lists no fee at Allpoint ATMs and $2.50 at other ATMs, plus any ATM owner fee. smiONE gives you its full fee list with the card.
• Timing: OAG says you can use your payments within two business days after they post.

If you’re behind on DC child support, call CSSD at (202) 442-9900 and ask about a payment schedule and the programs for parents ordered to pay. Under DC law, paying an extra 25% of your monthly support toward the past-due balance, and keeping it up, stops a license suspension.

• Alternative Solutions Center (ASC): CSSD’s own program for job-readiness training, referrals to services, and help finding steady work.
• Fathering Court: a voluntary DC Superior Court program with job training, counseling, and employment services.
• Amnesty Program: offered from time to time for parents 90 days or more behind. CSSD can forgive some or all arrears owed to the government, help reinstate a driver’s license, help remove bench warrants, and withdraw pending contempt hearings.

Can child support arrears be forgiven in DC?

Only debt owed to the District. Fresh Start forgives part of the TANF, Medicaid, or foster care arrears owed to DC when you keep a payment agreement with CSSD. CSSD invites parents who owe DC more than $500 and meet other conditions, such as no payments in the last 12 months; the Enforcement Unit at (202) 724-2316 handles it. Support owed to the other parent is different: DC law makes each payment a judgment when it’s due, and a court can’t lower support for past months.

Past-due DC child support doesn’t grow with interest; DC’s answers in the federal Intergovernmental Reference Guide say the District doesn’t charge it. But CSSD can use these enforcement tools once a payment is 30 days late:

• Higher withholding: current support plus 25% more toward the past-due balance.
• Tax refunds: federal refunds at $150 owed in TANF cases or $500 in others, and DC refunds at $150.
• Other money: some federal payments, lottery winnings, insurance payouts, workers’ compensation, and disability checks.
• Bank accounts can be frozen and seized.
• Liens on your real estate.
• Credit reports: Owing $1,000 or more is reported to credit bureaus, after 30 days’ notice.
• Licenses can be suspended. See license suspension.
• Passports are denied at $2,500. See passports.

Can you go to jail for not paying child support in DC?

Yes. A judge can hold you in civil contempt and order a lump sum, a payment schedule, or jail. For criminal contempt, DC law allows up to 180 days in jail for willfully not paying, though OAG’s enforcement page says up to 1 year. Not paying counts as evidence that it was willful, but you can show reasons such as incarceration, hospitalization, or disability. CSSD’s contempt brochure says it seeks criminal contempt only after other enforcement fails and when it believes you can pay. Missing a hearing after you’re served can lead to a bench warrant.

What if the other parent lives in Maryland, Virginia, or another state?

If you live in DC and the other parent lives in another state, CSSD asks that state’s child support agency to help set or enforce support. If you live elsewhere and the other parent lives in DC, CSSD works with your state’s agency.

Yes. Under DC law, your driver’s license and vehicle registration can be suspended if you have income and owe at least 60 days of support. Professional, business, hunting, fishing, and other recreational licenses can be suspended too.

You get 30 days’ written notice first, with the amount owed and how to ask for a hearing. To stop it, pay the past-due balance in full, or agree to pay an extra 25% of your monthly support toward it each month and keep paying. If you fall off that schedule for 30 days, your license can be suspended without another notice.

How do I get my license back?

The DC DMV lists these steps:

1. Contact CSSD at (202) 442-9900 to pay or set up a payment schedule.
2. Get a child support clearance letter with a raised seal from OAG.
3. Take the letter and your license to any DC DMV service center, and clear any other stops on your record.
4. Pay the $115 reinstatement fee to the DC Treasurer.

Can I get a restricted license?

Probably not. DC’s answers in the federal Intergovernmental Reference Guide say the District doesn’t issue temporary or conditional driver’s licenses in child support cases. Professional licenses are handled case by case.

DC child support changes only when a DC Superior Court judge signs a new order, so ask CSSD for a free review or file a Motion to Modify Child Support Order yourself.

When should I ask to change child support?

You need a substantial and material change in the child’s needs or the paying parent’s ability to pay. Under DC’s guideline, a new amount at least 15% higher or lower than your current order is presumed to be enough.

• Every 3 years: Either parent can ask CSSD for a review, even without a change. Sooner, CSSD reviews only with evidence of a substantial and material change.
• Common reasons: a job loss or new job, a raise or pay cut, illness, a custody change, or new child care or health insurance costs. A review can raise or lower support.
• Agreed orders: If your order came from an agreement or differs from the guideline, the 15% presumption doesn’t apply in its first year.

Don’t wait. DC law lets a new amount reach back only to when the other parent was notified of your request, and the court’s page says new payments apply from the day you file. Either way, the old amount stays owed until then. If you can’t afford it now, keep paying what you can and ask right away; see help if you’re behind.

How do I ask for a change, step by step?

1. Ask CSSD for a review and adjustment conference (free). Call the Enforcement Unit at (202) 442-9900 (option 4) or (202) 724-2316.
2. Bring your papers: your current order, two recent pay stubs, your latest tax return or W-2, proof of child care and health insurance costs, and proof of any other support orders and other children in the paying parent’s home.
3. If you agree, you both sign a consent order. CSSD files it with the court, and it takes effect when the judge signs it.
4. If you don’t agree, CSSD may file a motion if the change is shown, or you can file the Motion to Modify Child Support Order yourself at the Family Court Central Intake Center, Room JM-540, Moultrie Courthouse, 500 Indiana Ave. NW. Ask the clerk about the fee; if you can’t afford it, ask for a fee waiver.
5. Serve the other parent. DC’s guideline lets a judge decide a motion with an affidavit, a guideline calculation, and proof of service without a hearing, unless a parent asks for one within 30 days of being served. The Self-Help Center can explain how to serve.
6. Go to the hearing if one is set; OAG says it’s generally within 45 days of filing. Keep paying the current amount until the judge signs a new order.

What happens to child support if I go to jail or prison?

Support keeps running unless a judge changes it. When you’re sentenced to more than 30 days for a crime, DC law requires the court to ask about child support and give you a petition to modify that you can file right there; it counts as filed that day. In CSSD cases, CSSD reviews when it learns a parent is incarcerated, and the court can change support from the date CSSD got notice. You can also file the court’s Motion to Modify Support Order Due to Incarceration. Jail for contempt over unpaid support doesn’t count as a change. After release, contact CSSD right away.

DC child support usually lasts until the child turns 21, according to DC Superior Court, whether or not the child is still in school.

Support can end earlier if a child under 21 marries, goes on active military duty, or supports themselves through a job; the parent who claims this has to prove it in court. Moving out or finishing high school early doesn’t end support, and it doesn’t continue past 21 for college. Parents may owe support for an adult child with a disability, but CSSD doesn’t handle those requests.

With more than one child, support doesn’t step down on its own when one child turns 21; file a motion to modify. Past-due support is still owed after support ends; see how to stop child support.

In DC, the duty to pay usually ends when your youngest child turns 21, but DC’s answers in the federal Intergovernmental Reference Guide say obligations keep running until a judge signs an order ending them, so ask for that order.

1. Tell CSSD. Call (202) 442-9900 before your youngest child turns 21, or when a child marries, joins the military, or becomes self-supporting.
2. Ask the court to end the order. The Motion to Modify Child Support Order lists a child over 21 and emancipation as reasons and lets you ask the court to terminate support.
3. End withholding. Under DC law, your employer keeps withholding until the court or CSSD notifies it in writing, so don’t ask your employer to stop on your own.
4. Pay what’s past due. Withholding can continue after current support ends until past-due support is paid, and CSSD keeps collecting it.

Can child support end early in DC?

• Emancipation: marriage, active military duty, or a job that makes the child self-supporting, proven in court.
• Custody change: If the child moves in with you, ask the court to change the order.
• Parents can’t just agree to stop. An agreement to change support has to be reviewed and approved by a judge.

Can I close my child support case and open it again later?

Yes, in most cases, if you don’t get TANF. We found no CSSD page on closing a case, but federal case closure rules let the parent who receives services ask to close it when no support or arrears are owed to the government.

• Closing doesn’t end your order. Support keeps coming due until a judge changes or ends it, and past-due support is still owed. See how to change child support.
• To ask, call CSSD at (202) 442-9900 or email cssdcustomerservice@dc.gov.
• To reopen, fill out the online enrollment form again.
• Paying each other directly? Payments outside the Clearinghouse don’t count toward your order.

DC Superior Court’s Family Court Self-Help Center and Legal Aid DC’s Child Support Resource Center give free help with child support cases. CSSD’s attorneys represent the District, not either parent.

• Family Court Self-Help Center: free walk-in and call-in help choosing and filling out forms, at Moultrie Courthouse, Room JM-570, (202) 879-0096. Staff can’t give legal advice or represent you. The court’s Forms Help Online interviews fill out family court forms for you.
• Child Support Resource Center: Legal Aid DC lawyers give free legal information, advice, and representation in parentage and child support cases in DC Superior Court. They don’t work for the government, OAG, or the court. Call (202) 791-3996.
• Family Law Assistance Network: Legal Aid DC and partner programs help with child support, custody, and parentage cases, usually for households with income up to 200% of the federal poverty guidelines. Apply through DC Resource Bridge at (202) 933-4357.

DC has one local child support office. It’s CSSD at 400 6th Street NW, Suite 8300, and visits are by appointment: call (202) 442-9900. Some older forms and court pages still list 441 4th Street NW; use the 6th Street address. Never mail payments there; see how to pay.

See the DC child support office →

Most of DC’s child support program works like the states’, but a few rules stand out:

• Support ends: 21. Most states end support at 18; DC is one of 8 places (7 states and DC) that set a later age.
• Interest on arrears: none. DC is one of 10 places (9 states and DC) with no interest on past-due support.

See DC side by side with every state on 12 topics, with sources.

Compare child support in all 50 states →

• May 2026: Passports of parents with large debts are being revoked. See passports.
• Oct. 1, 2025: Under DC law, families on TANF keep up to $200 of current support a month (OAG’s page still says $150), and child support no longer counts against TANF eligibility or benefits.