Employers

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The Role of Employers in Child Support

Employers play a critical role in ensuring that the proper financial and medical support reaches children.  The following areas represent important ways that employers participate in the child support process.

Important Information for Employers

Wage (Income) Withholding Orders

CSSD is required to issue an Order/Notice to Withhold in every case in which there is a child support order and there is a known employer for the parent who is ordered to pay support. An employer will be notified of the need to withhold a portion of a parent's wages in each of the following situations:

  • Within 2 days of the entry of a new support order or an order modification, if the employer is already known by CSSD
  • When the paying parent changes employment and the new employer’s address becomes known
  • If applicable, when the paying parent is located and an employer for that parent becomes known

Employers are required by law to follow these instructions to implement wage withholding orders from child support agencies. More information about wage withholding is available to employers.

Making Payments

Employers may submit child support payments electronically through the CSSD secure website.  Employers may consult the User Guide for Electronic Child Support Payments for information regarding the formats and procedures for sending payments electronically.

Employers also can send child support payments through the mail as follows:

  • Make each money order or check payable to the “District of Columbia (DC) Child Support Clearinghouse.”
  • Type, write clearly, or print all information.
  • Put the employee’s name, case number, and Social Security number on each money order or check.
  • Mail each employer-submitted payment to:

         DC Child Support Clearinghouse
         PO Box 37868
         Washington, DC 20013-7868

National Medical Support Notice (NMSN)

As of October 1, 2001, use of the National Medical Support Notice (NMSN) went into effect. The NMSN is a standardized federal form that all state child support agencies must use in meeting medical support requirements. The form was developed with input from employer groups and health plan administrators. Of additional interest to employers, the NMSN complies with section 609(a)(3) and (4) of ERISA, which pertains to informational requirements and restrictions against requiring new types or forms of employer-provided benefits. Instructions are available for employers that receive a NMSN.

DC New Hire Reporting

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) requires all employers to report newly hired and re-hired employees to a state directory within 20 days of each employee's hire or re-hire date. Employers are to report DC employees to the District of Columbia Directory of New Hires, using the contact information below:

District of Columbia Directory of New Hires

P.O. Box 366
Holbrook, MA 02343
Phone: (877) 846-9523 Ext. 300
Email: contact@dc-newhire.com

Website: https://dcnewhire.com/                                                                                                                 

Additional information is available for employers regarding the reporting of new hires.

Employers and Child Support

Child Support and Employers

Employers help ensure children get the support they need by working cooperatively with the child support program.

Learn more about the employer role nationwide:  https://bit.ly/3nvJi06  #Support4Families

Electronic Payment Application

Custodial parties who want to receive payments electronically must fill out the Electronic Payment Application Form by selecting the link below.

The form may be filled out and saved on your computer. The form may then be sent via email, or printed and faxed or mailed using the instructions on the form.

Electronic Income Withholding Orders Process

The Electronic Income Withholding Orders (E-IWO) process is an efficient and cost-effective way to exchange income withholding order (IWO) information electronically between state child support agencies and employers.

There are many benefits to using E-IWOs. Benefits include the following:

  • Money reaches the family faster.
  • E-IWOs create a single interface for all exchange partners.
  • An employer can acknowledge receipt of each IWO and quickly respond to the state when an employee is no longer employed.
  • There is increased accuracy and reliability of data.
  • E-IWOs save time, money, and resources...at no cost to employers. There is no fee to use the E-IWO process.

After an employer registers for the E-IWO process, the federal Office of Child Support Services (OCSS) places all files on a secure server designated by the employer for information exchange. Therefore, there is no need for an IWO to be mailed during this process. The E-IWO process requires a Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) server, File Transfer Protocol Secure (FTPS) server, or File Transfer Protocol (FTP) server with a Virtual Private Network (VPN). The electronic transfer ensures that each employer receives its E-IWOS the day after the state child support agency generates them.

CSSD encourages employers to utilize this fantastic tool. For more information about E-IWO, visit the OCSS website. Contact the e-IWO Team at eiwomail@acf.hhs.gov to register for e-IWO.

Policies

The Child Support Services Division (CSSD) performs all legal and programmatic functions associated with the District government's child support program. This Division provides services to assist District families to establish parentage, locate parents, receive child and medical support orders, review and modify child support orders, and enforce delinquent child support orders. In addition, CSSD recoups Temporary Assistance for Needy Family (TANF) payments, Title IV-D foster care payments, and Medicaid payments.

In addition to providing the services indicated above, CSSD develops policies that are compliant with federal and District statutes, regulations, case law, and court rules. These policies guide CSSD in the delivery of services. This online Policy Manual contains modified policies regarding various child support functions.

Categories

The CSSD policies are organized by categories. Select the hyperlinked category name to reveal a list of policies in each area.

Intake and Parentage Establishment - Policies on initial case processing and parentage establishment

Enforcement and Medical Support - Policies on various administrative enforcement tools, such as driver's license suspension, and guidance regarding the parent's responsibility to obtain and/or maintain health insurance

Customer Service - Policies related to CSSD's customer service

Collections and Disbursement - Policies related to fee collections, support distribution through debit cards and direct deposit, and payment histories

Locate - Policies that address CSSD's efforts to locate parents in connection with child support cases

Interstate - Policies related to parentage and support cases in which one parent lives in the District of Columbia and the other parent lives in another state 

Wage Withholding - Policies related to the garnishment of income for the parent ordered to pay support

Legal - Policies that address the CSSD services associated with the court or administrative tribunal aspects of parentage and child support cases

Community Outreach - Policies related to various CSSD programs, such as the Fathering Court and outreach to the DC Jail

Miscellaneous - Other policies connected with CSSD work

 

Need help? Use the FIND function.

For help to locate a particular policy, use the "FIND" function to search by keyword. To access the FIND function, click the "CTRL" and "F" keys at the same time. Once the "FIND" box appears, type in a keyword.

Contact Information

CSSD's Policy Unit is responsible for drafting policies for the Division. For additional questions about CSSD policies, please contact (202) 724-2131 and ask to speak with the Policy Manager.

CSSD Operating Information

CSSD Operating

Child Support Appointments

The Child Support Services Division has reopened on a hybrid basis. We continue to offer child support services by telephone, email, and other virtual means. However, as of April 18, 2022, CSSD also began to see customers in office by appointment. Please contact the CSSD customer service team at (202) 442-9900 to schedule an appointment.
 

General Customer Service

For general child support needs, please contact customer service by phone at (202) 442-9900 during normal business hours (Monday through Friday, 8:15 am-4:45 pm). CSSD also may be reached by email at cssdcustomerservice@dc.gov.

In addition, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and increased filings, please be advised that we are experiencing delays in processing initial filings of cases with DC Superior Court.

 

Important Links:

 

CSSD Mobile App

CSSD Mobile Application Image

The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) Child Support Services Division (CSSD) is committed to enhancing the well-being of children by providing assistance in obtaining support, including financial and medical support, to children by locating parents, establishing paternity, establishing support obligations, and monitoring and enforcing those obligations.

The CSSD Mobile App is designed to provide Custodial and Non-Custodial Parents with near real-time information concerning payments, case status, collections, court date notifications, and other case actions.

Access to the CSSD Mobile App will be available January 23, 2017 for Android and IOS devices.

Customer Service Help: (202) 442-9900  *  Technical Help: (202) 724-4144 or cssdocl@dc.gov

Download on the App Store

 

 

   

                    

CSSD Android App on Google Play

 

CSSD Application Maintenance

The Online Case Lookup, Guideline Calculator, and TIPLINE  applications will be down for maintenance this weekend starting Friday December 2,  2016 @5:00pm through Monday December 4, 2016 midnight. The applications will resume its normal operations at 6:30am on Monday December 5, 2016.  

Child Support Awareness Month Career Fair

Job Fair Image

The Child Support Services Division is hosting a Career Fair for Child Support Awareness Month. 

Please feel free to attend this amazing event on August 31, 2018 at 10am to 3pm. The event will be located at 441 4th Street NW, Washington DC.

There will be over 30 employers present. Please be sure to bring your resume and identification.  

 

For more information contact (202) 442-9900

About CSSD

CSSD Current Logo

When the relationship between a child's parents ends, it does not mean that either parent's responsibility for that child ends. Both parents remain legally and financially obligated to a child no matter whether the parents remain together or not.

The purpose of DC’s Child Support Services Division (CSSD) is to help the person caring for a child to collect child support from the child's other parent.  CSSD also helps those who are divorced to collect spousal support in cases that also involve child support.

CSSD has a trained professional staff that provides a variety of services to eligible persons. These services include:

  • locating a child's parent for the purpose of establishing parentage and child support
  • establishing parentage
  • establishing a child support order
  • establishing medical support
  • enforcing the ordered child support payments and medical support
  • collecting child and spousal support payments
  • reviewing child support orders to determine whether an adjustment is needed

CSSD’s customer service team is available at (202)442-9900 or cssdcustomerservice@dc.gov to answer questions and to help customers with their child support needs. 

OAG’s Work to Improve Public Safety and Reduce Juvenile Crime

As the District’s chief prosecutor for crimes committed by juveniles, the Attorney General works to make the city safer through smart prosecution and innovative, evidence-informed initiatives. OAG’s public safety efforts aim to stop violence before it happens and address the root causes of crime to prevent justice-involved young people from reoffending. 

OAG works to protect our community and rehabilitate young people who come into contact with the justice system by vigorously prosecuting violent crime, strengthening collaboration with the Metropolitan Police Department, addressing trauma and the root causes of crime, empowering victims and holding young offenders accountable through restorative justice, and partnering with neighboring jurisdictions. 

AG Schwalb works to protect our community and rehabilitate young people who come into contact with the justice system by: 

  • Vigorously prosecuting violent crime: Reducing crime and increasing public safety are the top priorities for OAG. For years, OAG has had a policy to prosecute all gun cases, all violent cases with guns, and all gun possession cases. In FY2021, OAG filed prosecution petitions in 74% of cases presented to the office that involved a gun. If OAG does not prosecute a gun case, it is because it can’t – meaning there is not enough evidence to prosecute or because there was a constitutional violation in the case. OAG assesses every case individually and makes decisions based on the evidence, the needs of victims and the community, and the background (including any previous justice involvement) and needs of a young offender. Prosecutors are guided by questions including: “Does the evidence support a formal charge?” “What are the risks to public safety?” and “How can we ensure this young person is rehabilitated and does not go on to reoffend?”
     
  • Strengthening collaboration with MPD: In 2020, OAG recognized the agency could play a role in improving the evidence brought to us by police officers, so OAG set up a 24 hour/7 day-a-week hotline run by prosecution supervisors to advise police officers at the scene of a juvenile crime about, in part, what kinds of evidence they need to collect and record to bring us the strongest case possible. That hotline has been incredibly effective at improving the quality of evidence being brought to OAG, and assisting police officers in making decisions informed by the law as they do their jobs every day.
     
  • Addressing trauma and root causes of crime: To make it less likely youth will reoffend and increase public safety, when a youth comes into contact with the justice system, OAG works to put them on the right path instead of pulling them deeper into the justice system. To do that, the team assesses the factors that may have led a youth to violate the law and connects them with services that address those underlying issues. The office has significantly increased the number of young offenders it diverts to treatment programs, including the District’s Alternatives to the Court Experience (ACE) program. Through ACE, offending children identified as low risk to the community are provided personalized services to address trauma that include behavioral health support, mentoring and tutoring, and family and individual therapy. Close to 75% of the participants who complete the program are not arrested again. 88% of the participants who complete the program show improved scores on a behavioral and mental health assessment tool they take upon entering and leaving the program.
     
  • Empowering victims and holding young offenders accountable through restorative justice: In 2017, OAG launched the nation’s first restorative justice program within a prosecutor’s office. Restorative justice is an alternative to traditional prosecution that uses a form of mediation to hold offenders accountable, empower victims, and repair harms caused by crime. Successful mediations end with written agreements detailing a resolution, which often includes an apology to the victim, restitution, or community service, among other terms. Since 2017, the program has held more than 150 mediations and a preliminary analysis shows that youth who participated in restorative justice are 15% less likely to reoffend than youth who go through the traditional juvenile justice system.
     
  • Partnering with neighboring jurisdictions: In January 2021, OAG began developing the Multi-Jurisdictional Crime Task Force in partnership with the States Attorneys in Prince George’s County and we hope to expand to other neighboring jurisdictions soon to respond to an increase in crimes committed by young people across multiple jurisdictions. When a youth commits a crime that spans multiple jurisdictions, the task force meets to discuss each crime in detail, then agrees upon a path forward to address public safety concerns in both communities and ensures that the youth is held accountable while receiving the services necessary for rehabilitation.