Federal annual fee

The child support office may charge a fee for services. Federal law requires states to collect $35 every year for eligible child support cases. This $35 fee is in addition to other fees, such as the cost recovery fee.

Who pays the fee?

Minnesota's child support program will charge the custodial parent the $35 fee each year if both of the following are true:

• The state processed at least $550 in child support payments on the case
• The custodial parent has never received cash assistance for the children at any time from:
  • Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP)
  • Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)

The child support program collects this fee once a year. It is kept from support collected from the parent owing support before the payment is sent to the other parent. A parent who has more than one eligible case may pay more than one federal fee.

The program uses the federal fiscal year, October 1 through September 30 of the following year, to determine when it has processed $550 in support payments in an eligible case.

Is the fee ever waived?

The child support program will not charge the fee if any of the following are true:

• The child, while living with the custodial parent, received cash assistance under a public assistance program, including:
  • Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP)
  • Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).
• Minnesota is enforcing a case for another state.
• The case is an income withholding-only case, including cases in which the child support program is only collecting spousal maintenance.

Custodial parents who applied for child support services and do not receive public assistance can ask to have their case closed if they do not want to pay the federal annual fee.

Authority

State laws can be found on the Minnesota Office of the Revisor website.

• 42 United States Code, section 654 (6)(B) of the Social Security Act
• Minnesota Statutes, section 518A.51(b)