Aitkin County Child Support Unit

Child Support Supervisor – Julie Herbst

Service Alert COVID-19

Limited staff are available by phone at 218-927-2212. You can also communicate online:

• If you have a Minnesota Child Support Online account, send a message directly to your worker.
• If you do not have an account, send an email to our general email address, child.support@co.aitkin.mn.us. If you send us an email at this address we take that as your consent to electronic communication.

Please call for lobby hours 218-927-2212. A drop-box is available outside the Health and Human Services building and is checked during regular business hours.

Services

Services included:

• Locating parents
• Establishing parentage
• Establishing court orders for basic, medical and child care support
• Reviewing and asking the court to modify support orders when appropriate
• Adjusting support orders based on the cost-of-living index
• Enforcing child support orders
• Working with other states to establish and enforce support orders
• Processing payments received by the Child Support Payment Center for child support and spousal maintenance

Please read the Understanding Child Support handbook to learn more about the program.

Application

Apply for services in the county where you live or which issued a court order for child support. You can access an application:

• Online
• Download and mail an application
• English (PDF)
• Call our office at 218-927-2212 and request an application be mailed to you.

Contact Us

Call 218-927-2212 or toll free at 1-800-328-3744.

Via e-mail at: child.support@co.aitkin.mn.us

Send Mail to: Aitkin County Child Support 204 - 1st Street NW Aitkin, MN 56431

Payments

Child support information telephone lines and websites provide easy access to child support and payment information 24 hours a day.

• Minnesota Child Support Online at www.childsupport.dhs.state.mn.us provides up-to-the- minute case and payment information on a secure website.
• The Payment Information Line at 651-431-4340 or 800-657-3512 provides up-to-the-minute payment information.

To use the automated phone line, or to register for Minnesota Child Support Online (MCSO), you will need your child support participant number and your Personal Identification Number (PIN) to get case information on the automated phone line and to set up online account access.

If you need to request a new PIN you can contact the child support office at 218-927-2212 and they can mail you a new PIN number. Or you can request a new PIN be mailed to you online if you know your 10 digit participant number.

How Parents Receive payments

You may choose to receive support by direct deposit into a checking, savings or stored value card account.

How Payments are made

Income Withholding

The court may determine that child support payments are subject to income withholding. If the child support agency is enforcing the order, they will identify and notify the obligor’s employer or payor of funds to withhold the child support from the obligor’s income.

Other Payment Options

If income withholding is not an option, you may choose from several payment options: online using Minnesota Child Support Online, with cash using PayNearMe or MoneyGram; mail; or through automatic withdrawal.

Do not send your child support payment directly to the custodial parent. The Minnesota Child Support Payment Center needs a record of the payment.

For more information on how parents pay:

Child support payment options – English

Missed or Late Payments

If a parent does not make their payment on time, the child support office may take the following actions:

• Suspend the person’s driver’s and occupational licenses
• Intercept income and property tax refunds and lottery winnings
• Report unpaid balances to credit bureaus
• Refer a case for criminal prosecution

If your situation changes, such as job loss, it is critical you contact your child support worker to discuss possible solutions.

Changing a Support Order

Family circumstances change and income may increase or decrease. Some parents experience difficult times that make them unable to pay their obligation, such as unemployment, underemployment, health changes or incarceration. Child support obligations do not stop when an income source ends. Charging continues regardless of ability to pay, unemployment insurance benefits or other circumstances. Parents who have full child support services should contact their county child support worker right away if their situation changes. If you have income withholding-only services, the child support office cannot help you change an order. You will need to file a motion with the court yourself or with the help of an attorney. More information on requesting changes in child support orders.

Cost-of-Living Adjustments

Most Minnesota basic support orders require a cost-of-living adjustment every two years. The child support agency takes steps necessary to get the adjustment for these orders. Unless the obligor contests the adjustment in court, the child support agency will adjust the basic support obligation every other year on May 1.

Legal resources

https://mn.gov/law-library/research-links/legal-referrals/aitkin.jsp

Establishing Parentage

If a mother is married at the time the child is conceived or born, Minnesota law automatically recognizes the mother and her spouse (male or female) as the legal parents of the child. If a mother is not married at the time the child is conceived or born, Minnesota law automatically recognizes only the mother as the legal parent of the child. This is called establishing parentage.

FAQ

1. What happens when a parent does not pay child support?
1. When your child’s other parent does not pay the child support obligation and you have an open case, the child support agency takes action to enforce the support order. Interest may be added to past-due child support. Past-due child support remains due until paid. Cases must meet certain criteria before the child support agency can take action. Generally, child support policy allows enough time for the child support agency to give an obligor proper notice and an opportunity to pay the past-due amounts or to establish a payment agreement. Some enforcement actions take time and some actions may not be appropriate for a case. The child support agency and the county attorney may decide to take some actions based on the circumstances of the case and the likelihood of success. More information on Enforcement.
2. What happens when one parent does not live in Minnesota?
1. Some of the most difficult cases to enforce are those in which the parents live in different states. All states must provide child support services, and with the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, interstate enforcement of child support obligations is improving. The act includes laws requiring states to work together to establish and enforce child support orders. State child support agencies must cooperate and help each other in handling requests for assistance.
3. I lost my PIN number to access my case online and through the payment line. How do I get a new number?
1. You can contact the child support office servicing your case and they can mail you a new PIN number.
4. What if I would like to authorize another person to contact the child support office and obtain information on my case?
1. You can complete an authorization form from the Minnesota Child Support Division website and submit it to our office.
5. How can I stop child support services?
1. If you were the applicant for services, you can complete a request to stop services form from the Minnesota Child Support Division website and submit it to your local child support office. If there are no public assistance programs open and no public assistance past due support owing on the case, the child support office will remove charges and balances owed to you and will process the case for closing. The child support case may keep their portion of the case open if there are child support arrears owed to the State of Minnesota. More information on closing cases.
6. My child is 18 years old and will graduate high school in June. My child is planning on attending college in the fall. Will my child support continue while they are in college?
1. Secondary school is defined as high school; not college. Child support charges end when a child turns 18 or graduates high school, whichever is later, up to age 20. Also, charging can continue if the child who, by reason of physical or mental condition, is incapable of self- support.
7. What if the other parent won't let me see the child or we don't agree on a schedule?
1. Child support and parenting time are separate legal issues. The Aitkin County Child Support office cannot provide you with advice or assistance regarding custody or parenting time. You may wish to consult a private attorney for these issues.
8. How is child support calculated?
1. Estimate child support with the State of Minnesota’s online calculator. For an accurate estimate, you will need current information about the other parent or caretaker.
9. Federal Stimulus Payments and Child Support
1. FAQ regarding Federal economic impact payments (also called federal stimulus payments) and child support can be found here on the Minnesota Department of Human Services website.