Child support: a win win.

• Author: Mason, Katie
• Position: TRENDS & TRANSITIONS - Brief article

One quarter of American children--17.5 million--are eligible for child support payments, one of the largest sources of income for some families. Too often, however, parents don't receive what is legally awarded them, leaving some to turn to government programs for help. Nearly 38 percent of custodial parents received either nutrition assistance, Medicaid, welfare, public housing or rent subsidies in 2009, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

All states and territories have some kind of child support program to enforce support orders, collect payments, locate noncustodial parents, establish paternity, and set financial and medical support orders (such as health insurance contributions). State programs collected $32.8 billion in child support in FY 2011, 62.4 percent of the total due. Withholding support directly from paychecks accounted for 68 percent of all collections in 2011.

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The federal government matches state expenditures and provides...