The Domestic Relations Office is responsible for all enforcement activities, including administrative remedies and court actions in cases where child support or medical support is not paid.
Domestic Relations' attorneys are Friends of the Court and do not represent either parent or the child(ren).
If your original order date is before 7/1/09:
To obtain enforcement services, you must fill out a Child Support Enforcement Application form and an Affidavit of Direct Payment form (if applicable) and return it to Domestic Relations. The Affidavit of Direct Payment Form must be completed if after the date of entry of your court order (i.e. after the date of your divorce, paternity establishment, or modification) you received payments direct from the payor and not through Travis County Domestic Relations, please complete the affidavit, have it notarized, and return it with the application packet. Other helpful documents, such as our Medical Expenses Itemization Sheet can be found on our forms page.
Teams of attorneys, a paralegal, enforcement officers, and legal secretaries perform enforcement of child support and medical support.
Methods used include:
- telephone and letter collection
- driver's license, hunting and fishing license and professional license suspension
- contempt of court
- community supervision (probation)
- incarceration
- administrative income withholding
- criminal nonsupport referrals to the Travis County District Attorney's Office
Domestic Relations Office attorneys decide what enforcement remedies will be used based on the particular facts of your case.
Once you have applied for enforcement services, the payor will be requested to pay immediately. If payment is not made, the enforcement officer will decide on the next step. Sometimes it takes a long time to receive delinquent child support, depending on the circumstances of the case. If the parent that is supposed to pay child support is self-employed, works for cash, or is not employed, it will take much longer.
Any information you provide to the enforcement officer can speed up the collection of your child support.
If your original order date is after 7/1/09 and you did not opt out of enforcement services your order will be monitored for payments from the first day of the order. If it goes delinquent, DRO will take immediate action to enforce the order including but not limited to:
- telephone and letter collection
- child support review meeting between the parents to see if an agreed order is possible
- driver's license, hunting and fishing license and professional license suspension
- interception of IRS income tax refund
- administrative freeze on passport renewal or application
- administrative freeze on cash accounts
- employer new hire reporting and subsequent issuance of new income withholding order
- contempt of court
- community supervision (probation)
- incarceration
- administrative income withholding
- criminal nonsupport referrals to the Travis County District Attorney's Office
What happens to child support when my child turns 18 or graduates from high school?
Most Texas orders provide that a payor's obligation to pay child support ends when the only child or the youngest child turns 18 years of age, unless the child is still enrolled in high school. If the child is still enrolled in high school, then the obligation to pay child support continues until the child graduates.
IF:
Your child support is paid through income withholding,
THEN:
At least 45 days before the expected graduation date, you should contact the Domestic Relations Office to advise your Child Support Enforcement Officer of the expected graduation date. The Enforcement Officer will then review your case, notify the person receiving the child support on behalf of your child (i.e. the payee), and give the payee 15 days to respond to this notification.
IF:
There is child support still past due and owing (i.e. arrearages),
THEN:
The Enforcement Unit will advise you and the other parent of the amount of arrearages due and of the amount of statutory interest due on these arrearages
IF:
The payee does not want the child support arrearage and interest collected,
THEN:
-
If the child support is paid through income withholding
the Domestic Relations Office will inform the employer to stop the income withholding order for child support. Also, the Domestic Relations Office will close the Domestic Relations account.
-
If the child support is not paid through income withholding
the Domestic Relations Office will close the Domestic Relations account and will take no collection action.
IF:
The payee wants collection of the child support arrearage and interest,
THEN:
The balance must be paid immediately or the income withholding order will not be stopped.
IF:
You feel that the income withholding order should be stopped, and no arrearages are owed,
THEN:
You must immediately notify your Domestic Relations Child Support Enforcement Officer of your disagreement. The Domestic Relations Child Support Enforcement Officer may refer your case to the Legal Unit for a request that your case be set for court on this matter.
Posting Bond for Persons Arrested for Child Support Violations
A friend or a member of my family who pays child support has been arrested on a Travis County Domestic Relations or Texas Attorney General capias (arrest warrant). How do I get him/her released from jail?
For Travis County Domestic Relations Office Cases
To get a person released from jail between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, except on holidays bring the jail release payment to the Travis County Domestic Relations Office. Once there, ask to speak to someone in the legal/ enforcement unit.
To get a person released from jail on weekends, nights, and holidays go to the Travis County Sheriff's Department Bonding Office located behind the Travis County Courthouse (1000 Guadalupe Street) in the Blackwell Thurman Criminal Justice Center at 509 W. 11th Street, first floor. The Sheriff's Department will only accept cash, cashier's checks, or money orders. Absolutely no personal or businesses checks, or surety bonds will be accepted.
Bond payments for the release of a person from jail in a child support action will not be accepted by credit card through this website. Any attempts to do so will result in the person remaining in jail.
For Texas Attorney General Office Cases
The Travis County Domestic Relations Office cannot accept payments for the release from jail persons in custody on attorney general cases. If the person in jail is a Texas Attorney General's Office case you must contact the Texas Attorney General's Office at (800) 252-8014 for instructions on where to make the jail release payment. However, you can also pay at the Travis County Sheriff's Department Bonding Office as stated above 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
