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Child Support in Vermont

Child Support in Vermont

Vermont Child Support Guide for Single Mothers: Your Complete 2025 Handbook

Last updated: August 2025

If You Need Help Today

Emergency Situations:


Quick Action Steps:

  1. Apply for child support today: Call Vermont Office of Child Support at 1-800-786-3214
  2. Calculate your potential support: Use the Vermont Child Support Calculator
  3. Get free legal help: Contact Vermont Legal Aid
  4. Emergency financial assistance: Apply for 3SquaresVT benefits

Main Points

✅ Vermont uses the Income Shares Model – both parents’ incomes count for calculations¹

✅ Child support services are free – no application fees or service charges²

✅ Two payment options: U.S. Bank ReliaCard or direct deposit³

✅ Support continues until age 18 – or high school graduation if later⁴

✅ Self Support Reserve is $1,565/month – protects low-income parents (effective February 3, 2025)⁵

✅ 10% variance rule – can modify orders if new calculation differs by 10% or more⁶

Understanding Vermont Child Support in 2025

How Vermont’s Income Shares Model Works

Vermont uses the Income Shares Model to calculate child support, which means both parents are legally required to support their children financially. The Vermont Legislature has declared as public policy that children of separated parents should get as much support as they would if their parents were living in the same household.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Combined Income: Both parents’ available incomes are added together
  2. Basic Support Amount: Based on combined income and number of children
  3. Proportional Share: Each parent pays their percentage of the total obligation
  4. Custodial Parent Credit: The parent with primary custody gets credit for direct daily expenses

Example: If you earn $2,000 monthly and the other parent earns $4,000 monthly:

  • Combined income: $6,000
  • Your share: 33% ($2,000 ÷ $6,000)
  • Other parent’s share: 67% ($4,000 ÷ $6,000)
  • If total support needed is $1,200, the other parent pays $804 to you

Current Vermont Child Support Guidelines (2025)

The guidelines calculation tables were updated on January 2, 2024, with the Self Support Reserve set at $1,565 per month effective February 3, 2025. The next review and update is scheduled for completion by January 2, 2028.

Who Can Apply for Vermont Child Support

You can apply for child support services if you are:

  • A parent with physical custody of a child under 18
  • A legal guardian with custody rights
  • Someone owed back support (within time limits)
  • A relative or caretaker with legal custody

Important: Child support services are free for parents and guardians of children under 18 or still in high school.

Reality Check: Even if the other parent lives out of state or you’re worried about “causing trouble,” child support is your child’s legal right, not a favor.

How Much Vermont Child Support Can You Get?

Vermont Child Support Calculation Factors

Vermont’s child support calculation considers several factors under 15 V.S.A. § 653:

Factor How It Affects Amount Impact on You
Combined gross income Higher combined income = higher support More total support available
Number of children More children = higher percentage Support covers all your children
Parenting time <25% time = standard calculation Full support if you have primary custody
Childcare costs Added to basic support Your work-related childcare covered
Health insurance Added to basic support Child’s medical coverage included

Current Vermont Child Support Amounts (2024-2025)

Based on the most recent guidelines tables, here are estimated monthly support amounts before adjustments:

Parents’ Combined Monthly Income 1 Child 2 Children 3 Children 4 Children
$3,000 $517 $751 $861 $949
$4,000 $689 $1,001 $1,148 $1,265
$5,000 $861 $1,252 $1,435 $1,582
$6,000 $1,034 $1,502 $1,723 $1,898
$8,000 $1,378 $2,003 $2,297 $2,531
$10,000 $1,723 $2,504 $2,871 $3,164

Reality Check: These amounts are divided between parents based on their income percentages. If you earn less, you’ll receive more of this support.

Use the Official Vermont Child Support Calculator

The most accurate way to estimate your support is the Vermont Child Support Calculator. This web-based program is used by the court, lawyers, and Office of Child Support.

What you’ll need:

  • Both parents’ gross monthly income (before taxes)
  • Number of children needing support
  • Overnight parenting schedule
  • Monthly childcare costs
  • Monthly health insurance costs for children
  • Any other court-ordered support payments

Important: The amount you get is an estimate – whoever decides child support in your case will probably use the guideline, unless you or the other parent have income that’s too high for the guideline to calculate.

How to Apply for Vermont Child Support Step-by-Step

Step 1: Gather Required Documents

Before applying, collect these documents:

  • Child’s certified birth certificate
  • Your photo ID (driver’s license or state ID)
  • Proof of income (3 recent pay stubs, tax returns, benefits statements)
  • Information about the other parent:
    • Full legal name and any known aliases
    • Date of birth and Social Security number
    • Current and previous addresses
    • Employer information
    • Phone numbers and email addresses
  • Any existing court orders (divorce decrees, custody orders)
  • Medical insurance information for you and your child

Step 2: Apply for Vermont Child Support Services

You can apply by downloading the application to your computer, completing it electronically or by hand, checking and signing it, then submitting it by email to OCSCSU@vermont.gov, dropping it off at a regional office, or mailing it to the address on the form.

Three ways to apply:

Option 1: Email Application

Option 2: In-Person Application

  • Visit your local Vermont Office of Child Support office
  • Complete application with staff assistance
  • Bring all required documents

Option 3: Mail Application

  • Download and complete the application
  • Mail to the address listed on the form
  • Include all required documents

Step 3: Work with Your OCS Caseworker

Once you apply, OCS can help locate non-custodial parents, establish paternity through voluntary acknowledgment or genetic testing, create and modify child support orders, and enforce payment through various tools.

Timeline expectations:

  • Simple cases (other parent cooperative, paternity established): 60-90 days
  • Complex cases (parent location needed, paternity disputed): 6-12 months
  • Interstate cases: 3-6 months depending on other state cooperation

Step 4: Understanding Vermont’s Enforcement Tools

If the other parent doesn’t pay, Vermont law requires that child support be withheld from wages if any payment is late seven days or more. OCS has multiple enforcement options:

Enforcement Method How It Works Effectiveness
Wage Withholding Money taken directly from paychecks Most effective when employed
License Suspension Driver’s, professional, recreational licenses suspended High compliance rate
Tax Intercept State and federal tax refunds seized Seasonal but effective
Credit Bureau Reporting Reports to credit bureaus if back support is at least $1,000 Long-term financial impact
Asset Seizure Bank accounts and property liens Very effective for significant debts
Contempt of Court Possible jail time for willful non-payment Last resort option

How You’ll Receive Your Vermont Child Support Payments

Vermont offers two main electronic payment methods:

Option 1: U.S. Bank ReliaCard®

The U.S. Bank ReliaCard is a prepaid Visa debit card that doesn’t require a bank account or credit check.

How it works:

  • Your payments are loaded directly onto the card
  • Allow up to 10 business days for initial setup
  • Funds available within 2 business days of payment
  • Use anywhere Visa is accepted

No fees for:

  • Making purchases with the card
  • Getting cash at U.S. Bank branches
  • Monthly account maintenance
  • Customer service calls

Option 2: Direct Deposit

Requirements:

  • U.S. bank account (checking or savings)
  • Completed direct deposit enrollment form

Process:

  • Submit enrollment form to OCS
  • Allow 5 business days for processing
  • Funds typically available faster than ReliaCard

Important: If your direct deposit is rejected (closed account, etc.), you’ll automatically receive a ReliaCard.

When Vermont Child Support Payments Don’t Come

What Vermont OCS Can Do

OCS has various enforcement tools including contacting the parent who owes money, issuing wage-withholding orders, putting liens on property, and filing motions to enforce child support.

What You Can Do

  1. Keep detailed records of missed payments with dates and amounts
  2. Report changes immediately in the other parent’s employment or address
  3. Use the OCS parent portal to check payment status
  4. Contact your caseworker at least monthly if payments are inconsistent
  5. Document lifestyle inconsistencies if they claim inability to pay

Reality Check: Enforcement Challenges

Not all enforcement methods work immediately. Some parents:

  • Quit jobs to avoid wage withholding
  • Hide assets or work “under the table”
  • Move frequently to avoid detection
  • Claim disability or inability to work

The process takes time, but OCS has powerful tools that eventually catch up with most non-paying parents.

Modifying Your Vermont Child Support Order

When You Can Request a Modification

You can request a modification if the change would make the child support amount under current guidelines at least 10% higher or lower than the current order.

Automatic grounds for modification:

  • A parent receives workers’ compensation, disability benefits, or means-tested public assistance
  • A parent receives unemployment benefits (unless considered in original order)
  • A parent is incarcerated for more than 90 days (unless for failure to pay support)
  • The child has turned 18 and completed secondary education

How to Request a Modification

You’ll need to file a motion with the court along with:

  • New financial affidavits
  • Updated child support worksheet calculations
  • Proof of changed circumstances

Important: Any modification of support will apply only to support payments that were due after the motion was filed, so if you’ve experienced qualifying changes, you should act as quickly as possible.

Special Situations and Inclusive Support

LGBTQ+ Single Mothers in Vermont

Vermont child support laws apply equally regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Key considerations:

Same-sex marriages: If both parents are on the birth certificate or adoption papers, both may have support obligations.

Assisted reproduction: Legal parentage must be established before support can be ordered. This may require court determination or voluntary acknowledgment.

Resources:

Rural Families with Limited Access

Transportation challenges:

  • Phone consultations available by calling 1-800-786-3214 during business hours
  • Video conferencing available for some appointments
  • Most paperwork can be submitted by email or mail

Internet access limitations:

  • Public libraries offer free internet access
  • OCS phone support for online applications
  • Local social service offices can provide computer access

Single Fathers Seeking Child Support

Single fathers have identical rights under Vermont child support law. The application process, fees, and enforcement methods are the same regardless of gender.

Resources for single fathers:

  • Vermont Fathers and Families: Support groups and resources
  • Single Parent Network: Online community
  • Vermont Legal Aid: Same services available for all parents

Native American Families

While Vermont doesn’t have federally recognized tribal reservations, families with tribal connections may face special considerations:

Interstate tribal cases: If the other parent lives on tribal land in another state, OCS works with tribal child support agencies and federal services.

Resources:

  • Contact Vermont OCS at 1-800-786-3214 for tribal case coordination
  • Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement tribal services division

Vermont Organizations That Provide Support

Vermont Office of Child Support (OCS)

What they do: The Vermont Office of Child Support provides a wide range of child support services including collecting and distributing payments, locating non-custodial parents and their assets, determining financial ability to pay support, and enforcing child support obligations.

Services provided: Parent location using state and federal databases, paternity establishment, child support order creation and modification, payment collection and distribution, and enforcement through multiple tools.

How to contact: Call 1-800-786-3214 during business hours or email OCSCSU@vermont.gov.

Cost: Child support services are free for parents and guardians of children under 18 or still in high school.

Vermont Legal Aid

What they do: Vermont Legal Aid provides free civil legal services to low-income Vermont residents, including family law representation for child support, custody, and domestic relations cases.

Services provided: Legal representation in family court, advice and consultation for child support issues, assistance with modification requests, help with enforcement problems, and domestic violence legal advocacy.

Who qualifies: Low-income Vermont residents, with priority given to domestic violence survivors and cases involving children.

How to apply: Call 1-800-889-2047 for intake screening or visit vtlegalaid.org.

Legal Services Vermont

What they do: Legal Services Vermont is a nonprofit legal aid organization based in Burlington serving all of Vermont, fielding over 9,000 inquiries a year for people losing their homes, being denied benefits, or struggling with discrimination, abuse, or debt.

Services provided: Family law clinics by appointment where you can talk to a lawyer by phone, video conference, or in-person in Burlington about divorce, parentage, custody, visitation, child support and more.

How to contact: Call 1-800-889-2047 to schedule family law clinic appointments.

Vermont Network Against Domestic and Sexual Violence

What they do: Vermont Network is dedicated to ending domestic and sexual violence through education, advocacy, and support, creating safer communities.

Services provided: 24-hour hotlines, legal advocacy, hospital support, help with basic needs, emergency shelter, and safety planning.

How to contact:

  • Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-228-7395
  • Sexual Violence Hotline: 1-800-489-7273

Vermont Department for Children and Families (DCF)

What they do: DCF administers multiple assistance programs for families, working closely with OCS for families receiving public benefits.

Services provided: 3SquaresVT (food assistance), Reach Up (cash assistance), Dr. Dynasaur (children’s health insurance), and childcare assistance programs.

How to apply: Online at mybenefits.vermont.gov or call 1-800-479-6151.

Common Questions Single Moms Ask About Vermont Child Support

About Applying and Eligibility

Q: Do I need to live in Vermont to get child support through Vermont OCS? A: No, you don’t need to be a Vermont resident, but you might need to travel here for court hearings. OCS can work with other states if the non-custodial parent lives elsewhere.

Q: What if I don’t know where my child’s father is? A: OCS has extensive tools to locate parents including employment databases, tax records, credit reports, and motor vehicle registrations. Provide any information you have, even if it’s years old.

Q: Can I apply for child support if I was never married? A: Absolutely. Marriage is not required for child support obligations. OCS can help establish paternity if needed.

Q: What if he claims he can’t afford to pay? A: Vermont courts can “impute income” based on earning capacity if a judge finds that a parent is voluntarily unemployed or underemployed, unless they’re physically incapacitated, in job training, or it’s in the child’s best interests.

About Calculations and Amounts

Q: How does my income affect what the other parent pays? A: Vermont uses the income shares model where both parents’ total support obligation is divided between them in proportion to their respective share of their combined incomes. If you earn less, you’ll receive more support.

Q: Can I get support for expenses beyond basic needs? A: Yes. Vermont guidelines allow adjustments for actual, reasonable childcare costs required for work, extraordinary medical and education expenses, and other child-related costs.

Q: What’s the maximum amount of child support in Vermont? A: Vermont’s guideline can calculate support unless you or the other parent have income that’s too high for the guideline. For very high incomes, courts have discretion to order additional support.

Q: When does child support end in Vermont? A: Support continues until the child turns 18 or finishes high school, whichever happens later. You and the other parent can agree to extend support for college, but it should be made part of an official court order.

About Payments and Problems

Q: What if the other parent quits their job to avoid paying? A: Vermont has multiple enforcement tools beyond wage withholding. OCS can suspend licenses, seize tax refunds, report to credit bureaus, put liens on property, and pursue contempt of court charges.

Q: How do I change from ReliaCard to direct deposit? A: Contact OCS at 1-800-786-3214 to request the direct deposit enrollment form. Allow 5 business days for processing.

Q: What if the other parent moves to another state? A: Vermont can work with child support agencies in all 50 states. Your Vermont order remains enforceable, and the other state will assist with enforcement.

Q: Does child support automatically stop if he goes to jail? A: No. Incarceration for more than 90 days (unless for failure to pay support) can be grounds for modification, but the obligation continues to accrue until formally modified by the court.

About Modifications and Legal Issues

Q: How do I modify my child support if circumstances change? A: You can request modification if the change would make the support amount at least 10% higher or lower under current guidelines. File a motion with the court including new financial information.

Q: Can OCS help with custody or visitation issues? A: No. OCS provides only child support services and cannot help with parent-child contact, parental rights and responsibilities, or other non-support aspects of divorce or parentage cases.

Q: What if I disagree with the child support amount ordered? A: You have the right to request a hearing within 15 days of receiving the order. Contact Vermont Legal Aid for assistance with appeals or modifications.

Complete Vermont Child Support Resources and Contact Information

Vermont Office of Child Support

Primary Contact:

Legal Help and Advocacy

Free Legal Services:

Family Law Resources:

Financial Assistance Programs

State Benefits:

Childcare Assistance:

Emergency Help and Crisis Support

Immediate Safety:

LGBTQ+ Support:

Online Tools and Calculators

Official Vermont Resources:

About This Guide

Compiled by the ASingleMother.org Editorial Team

The ASingleMother.org team has been researching and writing comprehensive benefits guides for single mothers across all 50 states since 2020. Our editorial team regularly updates these guides by reviewing official government sources, contacting state agencies, and incorporating feedback from hundreds of single mothers who have used these programs.

This Vermont guide represents over 5 years of experience helping single mothers navigate the child support system. We verify information with official sources including Vermont Department for Children and Families, Vermont Office of Child Support, Vermont Legal Aid, USDA, and HHS to ensure accuracy.

Information compiled from official Vermont Department for Children and Families, Vermont Office of Child Support, Vermont Judiciary, Vermont Legal Aid, and federal sources. Last verified: August 2025.

The ASingleMother.org editorial team welcomes feedback on this guide. If you find outdated information or discover new resources, please contact us at info@asinglemother.org so we can help other single mothers with accurate, current information.

Disclaimer

This guide provides general information about Vermont child support law and procedures as of August 2025. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Laws and program details can change, and individual situations vary significantly.

Always:

  • Verify current information with the Vermont Office of Child Support at 1-800-786-3214
  • Consult with an attorney for legal advice specific to your unique situation
  • Keep detailed records of all communications, payments, and missed payments
  • Report changes in your circumstances to OCS promptly
  • Review your case regularly through OCS or by contacting your caseworker

The information in this guide:

  • Is for educational purposes only and should not replace professional legal advice
  • May not apply to every individual situation or case
  • Is subject to change without notice as laws and regulations are updated
  • Should be verified with official sources before making legal or financial decisions

Limitation of liability: While we strive for accuracy, this guide cannot cover every possible scenario or exception to Vermont child support law. For the most current information and case-specific guidance, always contact Vermont OCS directly or consult with a qualified family law attorney.

For the most current information, contact Vermont OCS at 1-800-786-3214 or visit dcf.vermont.gov/ocs.

Footnotes and Sources

¹ Vermont Statutes Title 15, § 653 – Income Shares Model
² Vermont Department for Children and Families, OCS Services
³ Vermont Child Support Payment Methods
⁴ Vermont Statutes Title 15, § 658(c) – Support Duration
⁵ Vermont Department for Children and Families, Child Support Calculator (February 3, 2025)
⁶ Vermont Statutes Title 15, § 660 – Modification Requirements

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