Compliance

Learn more about applying for child support.

Supporting Parents to Support Their Children

The Oregon Child Support Program’s goal is to support parents to support their children.

Children have the right to receive financial and emotional support from both parents, even if the parents don’t live together or were never married. We strive to make it as convenient as possible for parents to give their children everything they need to grow and thrive.

Working Together to Ensure Child Support Gets Paid

Most child support in Oregon is collected voluntarily, but unfortunately that’s not always the situation. When parents owe arrears or don’t pay through income withholding or other voluntary ways, the Oregon Child Support Program can take action to collect support. We have tools available to enforce child support and medical support orders. These may include:

  • collecting federal or state tax refunds and other types of federal payments to pay past-due support.
  • filing a lien against property owned by the parent if that property is in Oregon. This means the property cannot be sold with a clear title until the past-due support has been paid.
  • garnishing sources of income such as lottery winnings, insurance settlements, or inheritance. Bank accounts and other sources of funds can be garnished unless child support payments are already being withheld from these sources.
  • suspending recreational, driver, and occupational licenses.
  • suspending a U.S. passport.
  • reporting the names of parents who owe a certain amount of support to credit reporting agencies.
  • pursuing an action for contempt of court for failure to pay child support to comply in the future. The circuit court judge may also impose a jail sentence.