Child Support

The purpose of the Child Support Program is to provide children with the opportunity for a better life. By working with both parents to establish and enforce support orders, the child support program helps children receive the financial and medical support they deserve.

The Seneca County Child Support Enforcement Agency can assist parents by providing the following services free of charge:

  • Establishment of Paternity
    • Genetic Testing
    • Voluntary Acknowledgement – This process involves the completion and signing of an “Acknowledgment of Paternity Affidavit” form. This method cannot be used if mom was married at the time the child was conceived, born or anytime during the 300 days before the birth or if another man’s name in on the birth certificate.
  • Establishment of a Child Support and/or Medical Support Order – The Agency can establish an order to pay child support which is based on statewide guidelines as well as establish an order for one or both parties to carry medical insurance on the child(ren).
  • Location of non-residential parents – The Agency locates absent parents for the purpose of establishment and/or enforcement of support orders.
  • Modification of child support and/or medical orders – Either party may request a review of their order. The order must be must be at least three years old prior to requesting unless certain circumstances warrant one be made sooner. Documentation to support the reason for the request sooner than the three years is required. These circumstances include the following…
  • The existing order established a minimum or a reduced amount of support based on the Child Support Guidelines due to the unemployment or underemployment of the obligor and the obligor is no longer unemployed or underemployed.
  • The other party is unemployed or laid off, the unemployment or lay off is beyond the party’s control, and the unemployment or lay off has continued uninterrupted for thirty consecutive days..
  • One of the parties are unemployed due to a plant closing or mass layoff..
  • One of the parties are permanently disabled reducing his or her earning ability..
  • The obligor (payor) is institutionalized or incarcerated and cannot pay support for the duration of the child’s minority and no income or assets are available to the party which could be levied or attached for support..
  • Either party has experienced a thirty per cent decrease, which is beyond the party’s control, or a thirty per cent increase in gross income or income-producing assets for a period of at least six months..
  • Support terminated for one of the children of the support order.
  • To consolidate children of the same parents for whom paternity has been established into a single administrative support order. (Note this is only for Administrative orders only).
  • A party wants to access available or improved health insurance coverage for the child.
  • Either party has experienced an increase or decrease in the cost of ordered health insurance coverage or child care for the child which is expected to result in a ten percent child in the obligation.
  • An obligor is a member of the uniformed services and has been called to active service for a period of more than thirty (30) days.
  • A temporary adjustment order was issued based on the obligor’s active military service and upon returning from duty, his/her employer did not hold a job for them.
  • Enforcement of existing child support/medical support orders
    • Issue income/wage withholdings to attach wages, unemployment benefits, worker’s compensation, social security benefits, lottery winnings disability benefits, and bank accounts.
    • Federal and State Tax Offsets
    • Driver’s license suspensions
    • Attachment of bank accounts
    • Credit Bureau Reporting
    • Passport Denial
    • Ordered payment on arrears
    • Referral of case to legal department for court action
    • Lump Sum attachments
    • Order non-residential parent to seek work

The Seneca County Child Support Enforcement agency cannot assist with the following. You would need to contact a private attorney or file your own motion through the court of jurisdiction.

  • Visitation Issues
  • Enforce unpaid medical bills
  • Tax Exemption issues

See our Obtaining Child Support Services or Information page for contact information for paternity and support establishment questions, payment status information and other Child Support questions.

See our Making Child Support Payments page for information on how parents and employers can submit Child Support payments.