If you owe child support, you need to do everything in your power to stay current. In addition to providing your child with the support they need, falling behind can lead to various penalties that could turn your life upside down. On top of reviewing the possibility of modifying your child support order due to major financial changes, you should also realize your payment options.
Even though a lot of parents pay support via income withholding orders, which automatically take support out of their checks, some need to find a different way to pay support. For example, some make payments online.
An overview of online child support payments
California Child Support Services goes over paying child support online. The California State Disbursement Unit processes online payments, and you can submit payments using your PayPal account, debit card, credit card, savings account or checking account.
You can set up an account, which allows you to see your transaction history, or you can pay as an unregistered user. Make sure to have your Social Security number and Participant ID number on hand.
Other online child support payment considerations
Sometimes, system problems can result in duplicate payments, so make sure you avoid submitting another payment if you get an error message after trying to make a payment. If this happens, reach out to your credit card company to ensure the payment did not go through and contact your caseworker if you submitted a duplicate payment. In addition, the website may not function properly if you have blocked cookies.
Paying child support online could help simplify the process of staying current on your court order and help you avoid delinquency.