Ohio child support is a system designed to ensure children receive financial support from both parents, regardless of their relationship status. Administered through the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services' Office of Child Support and local child support enforcement agencies (CSEAs) in each of Ohio's 88 counties, the program provides comprehensive services including locating non-custodial parents, establishing parentage, creating support orders, collecting and distributing payments, and enforcing compliance when obligors fail to pay. Understanding how Ohio child support works, what services are available, and how to access assistance helps parents navigate this essential system and ensures children receive the financial support they need and deserve.
Overview of the Ohio Child Support System
Ohio child support represents an order for payment or medical coverage issued by a court or child support enforcement agency to help with the cost of raising a child. These orders establish the legal obligation of parents to provide financial support for their children, ensuring that both parents contribute to children's well-being even when they don't live together or maintain a relationship.
The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services' Office of Child Support supervises the state's child support program at the state level, while local child support enforcement agencies administer cases in each county. This two-tier structure provides both statewide consistency in policies and procedures while allowing local CSEAs to serve families directly with knowledge of their communities' specific needs and circumstances.
Services Provided by Child Support Enforcement Agencies
Ohio's child support enforcement agencies provide a comprehensive range of services to families:
Locating Parents
CSEAs use state and federal databases to locate non-custodial parents who have moved or whose whereabouts are unknown, including employment records, tax information, and other resources.
Establishing Parentage
When paternity hasn't been legally established, CSEAs help determine biological fathers through voluntary acknowledgments or genetic testing, creating the legal parent-child relationship necessary for support orders.
Creating Support Orders
CSEAs establish child support orders through either administrative processes or court proceedings, calculating appropriate support amounts using Ohio's standardized guidelines.
Collecting Payments
All child support payments in Ohio must be made through the state payment system, which processes payments from obligors and distributes them to obligees, maintaining accurate records of all transactions.
Distributing Payments
CSEAs ensure support payments reach custodial parents promptly, whether through direct deposit, debit cards, or paper checks, while maintaining detailed payment histories.
Enforcing Orders
When obligors fail to pay as ordered, CSEAs employ various enforcement tools including income withholding, license suspension, tax refund interception, and contempt proceedings.
Medical Support
CSEAs ensure children receive health insurance coverage by determining which parent should provide insurance and enforcing medical support provisions in orders.
Modifying Orders
As circumstances change, CSEAs review and modify existing support orders to reflect current income levels, custody arrangements, and children's needs.
Accessing Ohio Child Support Services
Parents seeking child support services can access assistance through their local county child support enforcement agency. Each of Ohio's 88 counties maintains a CSEA that serves families within that county's jurisdiction. Services are available to all families regardless of income level, though some fees may apply for families not receiving public assistance.
Applying for Services
To apply for Ohio child support services, parents can contact their local CSEA directly, apply online through the Ohio Child Support website, or visit their county's Department of Job and Family Services office in person. The application process requires providing information about both parents, the children needing support, current custody arrangements, existing court orders, if any, and financial information for calculating support amounts.
Once an application is submitted and processed, the CSEA opens a case and begins providing services based on the family's specific needs. For families receiving public assistance through programs like Ohio Works First, child support services are automatically initiated as a condition of receiving benefits, with rights to support payments assigned to the state to help offset the cost of public assistance.
Ohio Child Support Web Portal and Mobile App
Ohio provides convenient access to child support case information through the Ohio Child Support Web Portal and mobile app, giving users secure and easy access to their case details anytime, anywhere. Through these platforms, parents can view case information and payment histories, make payments by credit card or set up electronic bank account transfers, choose how to receive payments by enrolling in direct deposit or the Ohio child support debit card program, review payment activity for the past 24 months, receive payment notifications and alerts, view case details for all Ohio child support cases, update personal information including contact details and employment, and communicate securely with child support workers.
The mobile app is available for download on both iOS and Android devices, providing the same functionality as the web portal in a convenient mobile format. Users register using their OhioID, which provides secure authentication protecting privacy and personal information according to federal and state digital security standards.
How Child Support is Calculated in Ohio
Ohio child support amounts are calculated using a standardized formula based on the Income Shares Model, which considers both parents' combined income and allocates support obligations proportionally. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services creates and maintains the basic child support schedule used by all courts and child support enforcement agencies when calculating support amounts.
The calculation process begins with determining each parent's gross income from all sources, including wages, salaries, bonuses, self-employment income, rental income, and other earnings. Courts and agencies verify income through pay stubs, tax returns, employer statements, and other financial documentation. After establishing gross income, allowable deductions are made for spousal support actually paid, support obligations for other children, and health insurance premiums paid for the children subject to the order.
Additional calculations account for work-related childcare costs, health insurance premiums, and cash medical support for ordinary medical expenses. The final calculation produces the amount the non-custodial parent (obligor) must pay to the custodial parent (obligee) each month.
Factors Affecting Support Calculations
Several factors influence final Ohio child support amounts:
Number of Children
Support amounts increase with each additional child, though not proportionally, the per-child amount decreases slightly as family size increases.
Parenting Time: Parents with 90 or more overnight visits per year receive an automatic 10% reduction in their support obligation, with additional reductions possible for extensive parenting time.
Health Insurance: The parent providing health insurance receives a credit against their income for the actual out-of-pocket cost of children's coverage.
Childcare Costs: Work-related childcare expenses are shared between parents according to their income shares, with the obligor's share added to the basic support amount.
Self-Sufficiency Reserve: When a parent's income falls below 116% of the federal poverty level, special calculations apply to ensure the parent retains sufficient income for basic living expenses.
Deviations: Courts may deviate from guideline amounts when applying the standard calculation would be unjust or inappropriate, based on factors like special needs of children, extraordinary expenses, or significant disparities in resources.
Enforcement of Child Support Orders
When obligors fail to pay child support as ordered, Ohio child support enforcement agencies have extensive tools to encourage compliance and collect past-due support. Enforcement actions escalate based on the severity and duration of non-payment, with CSEAs employing both administrative remedies and court-based sanctions.
Administrative Enforcement Tools
CSEAs can implement various administrative enforcement actions without requiring court hearings:
Income Withholding
The most common and effective enforcement tool, income withholding, requires employers to deduct child support directly from obligors' paychecks and remit payments to the state. Withholding is typically implemented automatically for all new and modified support orders, and can be initiated for existing orders when obligors fall behind.
License Suspension
CSEAs can suspend driver's licenses, professional licenses, and recreational licenses (hunting, fishing) for obligors who are delinquent in their support payments, creating strong incentives for compliance.
Tax Refund Interception
Federal and state tax refunds can be intercepted and applied to past-due child support, providing significant collections, particularly during tax season.
Financial Account Seizure
CSEAs can freeze and seize funds from obligors' bank accounts, investment accounts, and retirement accounts to satisfy support arrearages.
Property Liens
Liens can be placed on real estate and personal property owned by delinquent obligors, preventing sale or transfer until arrearages are paid.
Credit Reporting
Delinquent obligors are reported to credit bureaus, negatively impacting credit scores and the ability to obtain loans or credit.
Passport Denial
The federal government denies passport applications and renewals for obligors owing more than a specified threshold in past-due support.
Court-Based Enforcement
For serious or persistent non-payment, CSEAs can pursue contempt proceedings in court. If an obligor is found in civil contempt for willfully failing to pay support, judges can impose penalties including jail sentences up to 90 days per contempt finding, fines up to $1,000, and orders to pay the obligee's attorney fees and court costs.
In egregious cases involving substantial arrearages, intentional evasion, or interstate flight to avoid support obligations, cases may be referred to prosecutors for criminal charges. Criminal non-support can result in more serious penalties, including extended incarceration and felony convictions.
Modifying Child Support Orders
Ohio child support orders can be modified when circumstances change significantly after the order is established. Both administrative modifications (conducted by CSEAs) and court modifications are available depending on the type of order and nature of changes.
Administrative Review Process
CSEAs review child support orders periodically (generally every 36 months) or upon request of either parent. The review process includes requesting updated financial information from both parents, recalculating support using current income and the basic child support schedule, comparing the recalculated amount to the current order, and determining whether modification is warranted.
If the recalculated support amount differs from the current order by more than 10%, or if children's healthcare needs aren't being adequately met, the CSEA proceeds with modification. For administrative orders, the CSEA can directly issue modified orders after providing notice and opportunity for administrative hearings. For court orders, the CSEA calculates revised amounts and submits recommendations to courts for approval.
Substantial Change of Circumstances
For court modifications initiated by either parent filing a motion with the court, the requesting party must demonstrate a substantial change of circumstances since the order was established or last modified. Changes qualifying as substantial include income changes causing recalculated support to differ by more than 10% from the current order, inadequate healthcare coverage not meeting children's medical needs, and unforeseen circumstances not contemplated when the order was issued.
Courts recalculate support using current income information and Ohio's basic child support schedule. If modification is granted, revised support typically becomes effective the first day of the month following when the modification motion was filed, ensuring changes apply prospectively rather than retroactively.
Medical Support and Health Insurance
All Ohio child support orders must include provisions for children's healthcare coverage and payment of medical expenses. These provisions ensure children maintain health insurance and that parents share responsibility for medical costs not covered by insurance.
The obligee (custodial parent receiving support) is presumed to be the appropriate parent to provide health insurance coverage unless factors support designating the obligor. Factors justifying the designation of the obligor as insurance provider include the obligor already having coverage for children at a reasonable cost, the ability to obtain coverage through employment at a reasonable cost, or the obligee being a non-parent caretaker with no duty to provide medical support.
Health insurance must meet specific standards, including reasonable cost (premiums not exceeding 5% of the providing parent's annual income) and accessibility (primary care services available within 30 miles of children's residence). When private insurance isn't available at a reasonable cost, orders include cash medical support, monthly amounts obligors pay toward ordinary medical expenses in addition to basic support.
Orders also allocate responsibility for extraordinary medical expenses, uninsured costs exceeding total annual cash medical support, including orthodontia, dental work, optical services, and psychological care not covered by insurance. Parents typically share these expenses according to their income shares.
Resources and Assistance
Ohio provides multiple resources to help parents understand and navigate the child support system:
Local County CSEAs
Each county's child support enforcement agency provides direct services, case management, and assistance with all child support matters. Contact information for local agencies is available through the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services website.
Ohio Child Support Website
The comprehensive state website at childsupport.ohio.gov provides information about services, answers to frequently asked questions, access to the web portal, links to local agencies, and resources for both custodial and non-custodial parents.
Customer Service
Each CSEA maintains customer service staff who answer questions, provide case information, and help parents resolve issues.
Ohio Revised Code Chapter 3119
The complete legal framework governing Ohio child support calculation is publicly available online, providing detailed information about guidelines, procedures, and requirements.
Legal Aid Societies
For low-income parents, legal aid organizations throughout Ohio provide free legal assistance with child support matters.
Ohio child support serves a critical role in ensuring children receive financial support from both parents. Whether you're seeking to establish a new support order, modify an existing order, or need assistance with enforcement, Ohio's comprehensive child support system and network of county child support enforcement agencies stand ready to help families navigate the process and secure the support children need.