Single Parents in New York Face $25 Yearly Fee to Collect Child Support

Single parents collecting child support in New York are now required to pay a $25 yearly fee if they wish to continue collecting child support payments.

The fee requirement was implemented by the Congress in 2005 as part of the Federal Deficit Reduction Act. The fee applies to single parents collecting an average of $5,500 a year in child support, which is about 17-20% of the people who receive child support payments in New York.

Even though the requirement was implemented in 2005, the New York state government has not enforced collecting the $25 fee until now. Michael Hayes, spokesperson for the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, said the state began collecting the fee as a result of the state's "dire financial straits."

Given the current financial climate in New York there was no other option. The state cannot continue to absorb the cost, said Hayes. "This is nothing we did. We don't like the fee," said Hayes.

Many people in New York have also questioned why the government is charging the custodial parent the fee as opposed to the non-custodial parent. According to Hayes, the state does not have any way to enforce collecting the fee from the non-custodial parent.

For more information about the child support laws in your state, click here to find a child support lawyer near you!