Child Support in Idaho
Families with children may split for several reasons, or sometimes children are born to unmarried parents. In such cases, it is important to have some form of protection to ensure that the children in such circumstances are not subjected to terrible living conditions. Child support laws exist, for this reason, to balance out the costs and burdens of raising a child.
Child support payments are financial obligations that the noncustodial parent of a child has to pay to the custodial parent to cover part of the costs of the child’s upbringing. This article will give information about child support in Idaho.
Child Support Process After Divorce
Custodial parents in Idaho who wish to get child support from their noncustodial partners must first download and fill the application form available at https://publicdocuments.dhw.idaho.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=3143&dbid=0&repo=PUBLIC-DOCUMENTS. After completing the form, they would be required to mail the completed form, along with a $25 application fee to the Idaho Child Support Receipting Services, P.O. Box 70008, Boise, Idaho. With the details provided by the person filing for support, the Child Support Services locates the other parent and serves them a notice. Third-party caretakers or relatives may also apply for child support services if they are the legal custodians of the child.
Idaho Child Support Services can also help disputed parentage by obtaining a court order to establish legal fatherhood of the child (this is done by genetic testing).
The case is brought before the court, where a judge considers various available information, including, but not limited to the number of children, parents’ income, etc. With the information provided, the judge establishes a child support order that would ensure some reasonable level of care for the child. The court may also establish an order for medical support, especially if the child has peculiar medical needs.
It is important to note that Idaho charges legal and service fees for obtaining an order. However, these fees are not immediately due once the order is established and may be deducted from upcoming child support collections for convenience of payment. Information on these fees can be found at https://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/services-programs/children-families/child-support-fees.
How Do You Receive Child Support?
Custodial parents who have been awarded child support can choose to receive their payments as direct deposits to their bank accounts. Following this arrangement, payments are made to the savings or checking account of the parent. For this to work, the parent must first register their bank account by filling the Direct Deposit Form at https://publicdocuments.dhw.idaho.gov/WebLink/DocView.aspx?id=3151&dbid=0&repo=PUBLIC-DOCUMENTS.
The funds can also be received onto a Family Support Card. This works just like a debit card and can be used for direct purchases or to make withdrawals. Some fees are charged to Family Support Card users, however.
Payments are disbursed by Child Support Services within two business days of receiving them and parents whose email is linked to their child support account will get an email notification once they are credited. For further detail, visit https://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/services-programs/children-families/make-or-receive-child-support-payment.
Maximum Amount Receivable as Child Support
The exact amount of child support that one is entitled to is determined by several different factors. The court collects information on the number of children, the age, the income of both parents, other child support obligations of the noncustodial parent, the medical coverage being provided by the parents (if any), special needs of the child, etc. Going by these guidelines, there is no actual maximum that the court can order as payment. However, the minimum is generally set at $50 per month per child. The actual child support guidelines document can be accessed at https://isc.idaho.gov/rules/irflp/IRFLP_Rule126-7.1.15.pdf.
Enforcement of Child Support
Sometimes, parents may refuse to pay their child support obligations and default on their payments. In such cases, Idaho Child Support Services has actions that may be taken against such defaulters. These actions are intended to coerce such parents into paying up what they owe. Income withholding however is generally ordered in most child support cases once the employer of the parent is known. The rest of the actions are automatically implemented once the legal criteria for them are met. These actions include credit reporting, intercepting lottery winnings, intercepting tax refunds, suspending various licenses, denying passport applications, filing liens on properties, etc. The person may also be found to be in contempt of court. For more information on the various enforcement actions, visit https://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/services-programs/children-families/child-support-services.
