How can I enforce the order if the other parent does not pay?
You can return to court to seek enforcement of the order.  You can ask the SCU for assistance and/or file a “violation petition” in Family Court.
	
WHERE TO GO FOR HELP 
IN NEW YORK CITY

Bronx
Child Support--SCU Services
Bronx County Family Court
900 Sheridan Ave, 1st Fl.
Bronx, New York  10451

718-590-3432/3428

Brooklyn
Child Support--SCU Services
Kings County Family Court
330 Jay Street
Brooklyn, New York  11201
347-401-9600

Manhattan and Staten Island
Child Support--SCU Services
New York County Family Court
60 Lafayette Street, 1st Fl.
New York, New York  10013
212-385-8218/8219

Queens
Child Support--SCU Services
Queens County Family Court
151-20 Jamaica Ave
Jamaica, New York 11432
718-298-0197

Questions?
If you are between the ages of 12 and 21, you can contact:

The Door’s Legal Services Center
121 Avenue of the Americas
(Entrance on 555 Broome Street)
New York, NY 10013
(212) 941-9090, ext. 3280

CHILD SUPPORT
What you 
should know...

The Door's Legal Services Center
121 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY   10013
(entrance on 555 Broome Street)
(212) 941-9090, ext. 3280

This pamphlet contains legal information, but it should not be considered legal advice and cannot be considered as a substitute for legal advice.  If you feel that you need legal advice and representation please call The Door’s Legal Services Center.  
The law requires parents to financially support their biological or adopted children until the children are 21 years old.  For purposes of this pamphlet, we will assume that the mother is seeking support from the father. However, any father who has custody of his children can get child support from the mother if she is refusing to contribute financially.

What if I am not married to the father of my child?
You can get child support even if you were never married to your child’s father, but you must first prove to the court that he is the father unless the father has signed an "Acknowledgment of Paternity."  When you go to court, if the father admits that he is the parent of the child, an official document called an “Order of Filiation” is issued.  If he does not acknowledge that he is the father, the court may order blood tests to make a determination. Once paternity is established, the father is legally obligated to provide support payments. Be aware that proving paternity gives the father certain rights: he could ask for visitation or even custody of your child.

What if I receive public assistance?
If you receive public assistance (welfare), you will most likely have to help the government get child support from the absent parent. Your caseworker or someone from the Support Collection Unit (“SCU”) will ask you for information about the father. DSS can then begin a child support action on your behalf.  You can also start the case yourself, but only in Manhattan Family Court. 

If there is a support order, the payments will go to DSS. You can only receive up to $50 a month from these payments. Once you get off of public assistance, child support payments will go directly to you.

What if I am afraid he will hurt me?
Before you decide to get a child support order, consider that the father will be served with court papers and you will probably see him in court. If you are afraid he may hurt you or your children, you may want to get an order of protection first.  If you receive public assistance and you are being asked to help the SCU get support from the father, tell your caseworker about your fears.  You may not have to help them get support if you have "good cause" for not doing so. 

If I’m not receiving welfare, how do I get child support and where do I go for help?
You can start a case to get child support by going to the Family Court in your borough and filing a petition. 

What do I need to bring with me when I go to court?
Bring all the information you have about your child’s father, including his last known address, last known employer, and social security number.  If you don't know where he is, bring his parents' names, any information you may have about his income and assets, and a recent photograph. 

You should also bring birth certificates for each child, a marriage certificate if you are married, and a divorce decree or separation agreement if applicable. If paternity is an issue, bring any written statements in which the father has said or implied that he is your child's father.   

What happens after I file the petition?
The court clerk will set a hearing date for you and the absent parent to return to court. You will have to make arrangements to have the summons served on the father. On the court date, a hearing examiner will listen to you, your child’s father, and any other witnesses. You and the other parent will have to disclose financial information.  The hearing examiner will then determine whether or not to order child support payments, and the amount. In addition to granting you child support, the court can issue an income execution order against the father, requiring his employer to deduct a portion of his earnings to go towards child support payments.  If the case is not resolved when you go to court, the hearing examiner may issue a Temporary Order of Support and set the hearing for a future date. 

How much money can I receive?
There are guidelines that determine support based on the father's income and the number of children you have with him. The hearing examiner will use these guidelines to figure out how much the father has to pay. For example, if you have one child with the father, he will have to pay 17% of his income for child support.  If you have two children, he will be ordered to pay 25% of his income. The amount he has to pay increases with the number of children.  You can seek higher payments if your children have special health, childcare, educational, or other needs.  If the absent parent has health insurance that can include coverage for your child, the parent must add the child to his policy.

If the absent parent does not have a job and/or receives public assistance, he may be ordered to pay the minimum amount required, $25.  

The court will award child support payments as of the date you applied for child support. 

What if I do not agree with the court’s order?
You have a right to file your objections to the court’s order. You must file these objections within 30 days of receiving your order personally (or 35 days after the order was mailed to you).  Your child’s father can file a rebuttal to your objections.  A judge will then consider your objections and can adjust your order, or send the case to the hearing examiner.  If the judge denies your objections, you can appeal the decision.