Payment -- Detail

Effective date of payment

Payments are credited on the legal date of collection set by federal and state regulation

• Payments by parent are credited on the date the payment is received.
• Wage assignment payments are credited on the date of withholding.
• Tax intercepts are credited on the date assigned by the IRS or FTB.
• Unemployment withholding is credited on the date the benefit is issued.
• Writs are credited on the date received by the child support agency.
• Interstate payment credits depend on the source in the other state.

All payments must be made to the child support agency. Payments made directly to the custodial parent may not be credited as support and could result in sanctions to the paying parent for failing to comply with the court order.

Custodial parents who receive payments directly are required to send the payments to the child support agency to ensure proper credit and disbursement.

Non-money payments such as payment of the custodial parent's rent, car payment or bills, or purchasing formula, diapers, clothing, etc. for the children will usually not be credited as a payment of court-ordered child support. It is not uncommon for courts to deny any credit for payments made that do not comply with the court's order.

California law accrues interest on unpaid child support judgments at the rate of:

• 10% simple interest per year on amounts after January 1, 1983
• 7% simple interest per year on amounts before January 1, 1983

  The purpose of interest is to adjust the past-due debt to current values and to encourage timely payment. The accrued interest actually becomes part of the judgment.

In California, the child support obligation runs until the child reaches age 18, or if still enrolled in high school, until graduation or age 19, whichever comes first. If the child is incapacitated from supporting him/herself or if there is an agreement for support after the legal age, support may be ordered to continue into adulthood.

In interstate cases, support may run beyond the age of majority in California - often up to age 21 - depending on where the support order was entered and the circumstances of the case.

Effective October 1, 1998, as part of welfare reform enacted by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA), changes occurred in the distribution of both welfare and non-welfare support payments.

The following is an explanation of Arrearage Account Types effective 10/01/98:

NEW TERM	DEFINITION	AID STATUS	OLD TERM
Permanently Assigned	Arrears accrued while on CalWORKs	Active	Welfare (AFDC) current and arrears
Temporarily Assigned	Arrears accrued prior to going on CalWORKs are temporarily assigned while on CalWORKs	Only while Active	Nonwelfare arrears assigned temporarily to welfare (AFDC)
Conditionally Assigned	Arrears accrued prior to going on CalWORKs are conditionally assigned after going off CalWORKs if all aid hasn't been recouped	Discontinued	Nonwelfare arrears assigned to welfare (AFDC), up to total aid paid to the family
Unassigned Arrears	Arrears that were assigned become unassigned after off CalWORKs and the total aid paid has been recouped	Discontinued	Welfare (AFDC) arrears that convert to N/W arrears because TAP has been reimbursed to the county
Never Assigned	Arrears accrued after family off CalWORKs -- or if family never received CalWORKs	Discontinued or never received aid	Nonwelfare arrears

NOTE: At the time of conversion in October 1998, all existing CalWORKs (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) arrears became Permanently Assigned arrears owed to the county (welfare), up to the amount of total aid paid (TAP) in public assistance to support the family. Any amounts over the TAP became Never Assigned arrears and are owed to the family