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Child Support is payments that one parent makes to the child’s other parent or legal guardian to help with the costs of raising the child. Parents and guardians can receive services from their local child support office.
The process begins when you apply for child support services or when your local child support office receives a referral from another public assistance program. Then your local child support office works to find the other parent, legally formalize parentage, set the order, and route the collected funds to the parent owed support.
Every state is different, so contact your local child support office to learn more about the process as it applies to your case. Our Handbook provides more information on how child support works.
The Clark County District Attorney - Family Support Division's Child Support Office Provides following Services:
Open a Child Support Case
To apply for Child Support services download, print, and complete the Child Support Application and mail, fax or walk into District Attorney Family Support office.
Resources:
Locate the Other Parent
Child support agencies can try to locate the other parent using information like their date of birth and Social Security number.
Establish Parentage
It’s important to establish a legal relationship with the child. Parents can make a voluntary acknowledgement of their parentage or arrange for genetic testing.
Establish a Support Order
Child support agencies can establish the child support order and determine the payment amount. They use child support guidelines to calculate how much a parent should contribute to the child’s financial support.
Set Up Payments
The most common way to pay child support is to deduct the payment from the parent’s paycheck and distribute the money to the other parent or guardian. It’s an easy way to make and keep a record of child support payments.
Enforce the Support Order
When the parent doesn’t pay the full amount or doesn’t pay at all, child support agencies can use enforcement remedies like:
- Withholding child support from paychecks, unemployment, or worker's compensation benefits
- Intercepting income tax refunds
- Reporting delinquent child support payments to credit bureaus
Review or Modify the Order
Either parent can ask their local child support office to review their order three years after the order is set. They can request a review before three years if a parent experiences substantial changes in circumstances, such as job loss or incarceration.