What is Child Support?
When parents separate or divorce, financial responsibility remains with both parents, regardless of where the children live, or with whom they spend time. In family law, the term “child support” refers to regular payments made to one parent by the other for the financial benefit of the children. Child support is often written into the divorce decree, or the child custody and visitation order.
How Child Support works
Children with unmarried parents need to have paternity established before support can be ordered. Establishing paternity identifies a child’s legal father.
Guam allows parents to establish paternity voluntarily at the hospital or at anytime after leaving the hospital, by signing a Declaration of Paternity.
A child support order sets the amount of support a parent is required to pay. The order can also establish paternity, and require health insurance and payment of medical expenses. Support orders can be changed as the circumstances of the parents and child change.
Guam CSED will take steps to enforce court orders for child support and health insurance. Enforcement action will be taken if the obligor parent does not pay or pays less than the amount ordered, or if the obligor parent does not provide health insurance for the child as ordered by the court. CSED will determine what type of enforcement action is to be taken, consistent with state and federal regulations.
There are several ways we collect and enforce child support:
- Withhold Income
- Deny Passports
- Intercept Federal Payments
- Set Liens on Property
- Withhold tax refunds
- Report Child Support Debts to Credit Bureaus
- Suspend or Revoke Drivers, Professional, Occupational, and Recreational Licenses
Child Support Payments
How to pay Child Support In-Person
Treasurer of Guam
1st floor ITC Bldg.
Tamuning, Guam 96913
*Check or Cash accepted*
Make check payable to: Treasurer of Guam
Office of the Attorney General
Child Support Enforcement Division
ITC Building
590 S. Marine Corp Drive
9th Floor, Suite. 901
Tamuning, Guam 96913
*Check Only accepted*
Make check payable to: Treasurer of Guam
How to pay Child Support by Mail
Treasurer of Guam
State Disbursement Unit
Office of the Attorney General/CSED
590 S. Marine Corp Drive, Ste. 901
Tamuning, Guam 96913
*Check Only accepted*
Make check payable to: Treasurer of Guam
Upcoming Events
Receiving Child Support Fund through Direct Deposit
Direct Deposit is the electronic deposit of child support payments received into your bank account.
A great benefit of direct deposits is that payments are directly deposited into your bank account making child support funds available faster.
Complete and sign the application. You may mail the application or drop off the application in person at the Guam Child Support Enforcement Division.
Application to Receive Child Support by Direct Deposit
If you do not have access to a printer, you may pick up an application here at the Guam Child Support Enforcement Division.
To be deposited to a checking account, please be sure to include a copy of your voided check. If the payments are to be deposited to a savings account, please contact your bank for direct deposit instructions.
Your responsibility as an Employer
Most parents pay child support through income withholding, and employers have an important role to play.
All employers are required to:
- report new hires
- withhold income and forward payments to the Guam State Disbursement Unit located inside the Child Support Enforcement Division.
Frequently Asked Questions
You may apply for Child Support services by downloading and completing the child support application form. The application and required documents may be mailed or dropped off in person to the Guam Child Support Enforcement Division. Click here for the application For Child Support Services
The Attorney General’s Child Support Enforcement Division (CSED) was created because public policy is in favor of establishing paternity, of having parents support their children, and in having fair and equitable support orders. Once child support orders are established, the AG Office’s CSED collects funds from the non-custodial parent for the support of the minor children, or back to the Government of Guam for reimbursement in cases where the custodial parent received government assistance under the AID to Families with Dependent Children (“AFDC”), now known as the Temporary Assistance of Needy Families (“TANF”).
However, with the passage of time, some parents changed their residences but failed to update the CSED with their new contact information, failed to maintain their bank account for direct deposits, or have since passed away. As a result, the AG Office’s CSED has accumulated a significant amount of undistributed funds. You may be entitled to these funds.
If you believe you have undistributed funds (UDC) to claim, click this and email it to [email protected].
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Call:+1-671-475-3360
Email: [email protected]
