Child Support Services

CHILD SUPPORT SERVICES

ISANTI COUNTY CHILD SUPPORT OFFERS THE FOLLOWING SERVICES:

· Locating parents

· Establishing paternity for children born outside of marriage

· Establishing and enforcing court orders for basic support, medical support, and child care support

· Reviewing and modifying court orders for support

· Automatic cost of living adjustments (COLA)

· Interstate services when one parties does not live in Minnesota

· Collecting and distributing payments

ISANTI COUNTY CHILD SUPPORT DOES NOT OFFER THE FOLLOWING SERVICES:

· Divorce actions

· Legal action for custody or parenting time (visitation)

· Collection of marital or other non-support related debts, attorney fees, or property settlements

· Establishing or modifying spousal-maintenance only orders

· Legal advice

If you need help with any of these services, you may wish to contact a private attorney.

HOW TO APPLY FOR SERVICES:

You may apply for child support services if you are a parent of a minor child, and the other parent is absent from the home, or if you are a parent who pays child support through court ordered income withholding, or you have court ordered physical custody of a minor child that is not your biological child.

If you are applying for, or are receiving public assistance in Isanti County, your application for child support services will automatically be referred to us. If you would like to apply for non-public assistance child support services, you must complete an application and pay a $25 application fee. Applications without the fee will not be accepted. In addition to the $25 fee, the applicant is required to pay a cost recovery fee of 1% for full child support services. The 1% is withheld from payments we collect from the payer of the child support obligation.

You may contact us at (763)689-1711 to request an application for services or to receive more information.

If you prefer, you may download a copy of the application.

Note: to view and/or print this form, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.1 or higher installed on your computer. If you do not have Acrobat Reader loaded on your computer, click the Acrobat Reader button for instructions on how to get the Reader from Adobe’s web site.

Mail the application and fee to:

Isanti County Family Services
Child Support Unit
Oakview Office Complex
1700 E Rum River Dr S Suite A
Cambridge MN 55008-2547

You may also drop off the application and fee at our office.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How do you locate a parent?
We have several locate tools for locating non-custodial parents. We have some automated interfaces that come through our computer system. We also have access to other websites that can help us.

Why should I establish who the father of the child is?
Establishing paternity for children born outside of marriage gives children the same legal rights as children born to married parents. Children with legal fathers may have rights to benefits through their fathers such as: Veterans, Social Security, Tribal, Workers Compensation benefits, rights of inheritance, and health care coverage.

How is paternity established?
Parents can voluntarily sign a Recognition of Parentage. Signing and properly filing the Recognition of Parentage form establishes the father and child relationship. If parents are not sure, they can have genetic testing done. Isanti County generally uses a DNA test done by swabbing the inside of the cheek to collect cells. The swabs are sent to an outside lab for testing. Another way to establish paternity is to have a court order adjudication.

How do I establish a support order?
Isanti County will establish an order for support if you don’t already have one. We gather information about both parties and draft a proposed order that is served on both parties. If either party objects to the proposal, they can request a hearing where a judge will make the determination. If the parties do not object to the county’s proposal, it will go to a judge for signature. After the judge signs the order, it gets filed with the Court Administrator’s office and sent to both parties.

How are the payments managed?
Most orders for support will order payments to be made via income withholding. The county will send notice to the payer’s employer to withhold support and send it to the Minnesota Child Support Payment Center. If there is no employer, the payer is obligated to make the payments to the Minnesota Child Support Payment Center. The Minnesota Child Support Payment Center disburses the payments to the custodial parent.

Where can I get payment information?
You can get payment information by calling the Interactive Voice Response Line at 1-(800)657-3512 outside the metro area, or (651)215-5630 in the metro area. You will need to know your MCI number and your personal identification number (PIN) to use the IVR Line. You can obtain those numbers from your local child support office. You can also access payment information through the Minnesota Child Support online system. There is a link below.

What happens if the payer doesn’t pay?
If the payer does not pay their child support obligation, we have several tools available to collect the support. We can do driver’s license suspension, occupational license suspension, recreational license suspension, intercept tax refunds, and contempt actions.

How can I get my Court order changed?
Either party can request a review of their court order at any time, if they feel the order is no longer reasonable. An order would be unreasonable if either party’s income changes, or the cost of medical/dental coverage changes, or child care costs have changed. To request a review, send in a written statement, stating the reasons you believe the order should be reviewed, to your local child support agency. You also have the option to request a modification through the courts. To make your own motion, you can obtain the documents from the Court Administrator’s Office or online at Minnesota Courts

What is the effective date of a court order?
Most orders will indicate the effective date in the order, but if there is no language to say when it is effective, we will start the charging on the first of the month following the date the judge signed the order.

Does the County Attorney’s Office or the Child Support Office represent me when handling a child support matter in court? The County Attorney and the Child Support Office do not represent either party in court. They represent the interest of the County and State to obtain a fair and just court order.

What happens if the other parent lives in a different state?
If one of the parties resides in a different state, we can start an interstate action asking the other state to establish or enforce the court order.

How does the automatic cost of living increase work?
All child support orders are required to have a cost of living adjustment (COLA) every two years. The COLA is based on the consumer price index. If you have a child support case open with us, our computer system is set up to calculate the increases every two years and are effective on May first of the year your order should have the COLA. If you are the payer and your income has not increased, you can request a motion to have the COLA stopped.

Who can I call for more information?
For general information about the child support program call:

(651) 431-4199 Twin Cities metro area
(800) 657-3954 Outside the metro area

TTY users call:

(651) 431-4346 Twin Cities metro area
(888) 234-1208 Outside the metro area or use the Minnesota Relay at 711

For payment information call:

(651) 431-4340 Twin Cities metro area
(800) 657-3512 Outside the metro area

TTY users call:

(651) 431-4346 Twin Cities metro area
(888)234-1208 Outside the metro area or use the Minnesota Relay at 711

HELPFUL LINKS

Court Forms

Information about Direct Deposit

Information about Stored Value Card

Minnesota Child Support Online

Minnesota Child Support Online Calculator

Minnesota Child Support Guidelines