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Connecticut Child Support Enforcement Resource Center
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- Connecticut Support Enforcement Measures
- Who Can Enforce Court Ordered Child Support in Connecticut
- Connecticut Child Support Services Caseload Statistics
- Interest on Missed Child Support Payments
- Statute of Limitations on Back Child Support
- Statute of Limitations for Determination of Paternity
- Age of Emancipation / Age of Majority
- How Are Child Support Payment Amounts Determined in Connecticut?
- Custody and Visitation Issues
Even if the non-custodial parent lives outside the state of Connecticut, the law requires cooperation between states. The non-custodial parent is legally required to make regular child support payments, regardless of where they live.
Connecticut Support Enforcement Measures
If a non-custodial parent does not pay child support, he or she is subject to enforcement measures in accordance with Federal and Connecticut child support law to collect regular and past-due payments.
- Witholding of income including wages, overtime pay, worker’s compensation, unemployment compensation, retirement benefits
- Contempt of court charges possibly resulting in probation or jail sentence
- Suspension of driver’s license, professional, occupational license, or recreational license
- Passport application denial
Who Can Enforce Court Ordered Child Support in Connecticut?
The Connecticut Bureau of Child Support Enforcement is the state-run child support enforcement office for Connecticut. The Connecticut Department of Social Services is required by federal law to provide services through Bureau of Child Support Enforcement (BCSE) and is funded by the federal government and the State of Connecticut.
| CT BUREAU OF CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT CASELOAD STATISTICS1 | |
|---|---|
| Full Time Equiv. Staff | 453 |
| Total Caseload | 210,453 |
1 U.S. Office of Child Support Enforcement, Boxscores for FY 2005
Interest on Missed Child Support Payments
The State of Connecticut does not provide for interest charges on missed payments, retroactive support, or adjudicated arrears.
Connecticut Statute of Limitations on Back Child Support Payments (Arrears)
There is no statute of limitations in Connecticut for enforcement of child support arrears.
Connecticut Statute of Limitations for Determination of Paternity
The statute of limitations in Connecticut for establishment of paternity 18 years of age.
Age of Emancipation / Age of Majority in Connecticut
The age of majority in Connecticut is 18 except in cases where decree of dissolution of marriage, legal separation or annulment is entered on or after July 1, 1994 in accordance with CGS Sec. 46b-84, support continues for unmarried children residing with a parent until completion of 12th grade or the age of nineteen, whichever first occurs. CGS ยง17b-745, 46b-171, 46b-172 and 46b-215 amended October 1, 2004, extends the support liability of parents who are subject to the provisions of these statutes to age 19 for unmarried children who remain full-time high school students.
Support obligation may be extended past the age of majority if the child lives with a parent and has mental retardation, or a mental or physical disability, until age 21 in cases of dissolution of marriage, legal separation or annulment, for orders entered on or after October 1, 1997, in accordance with CGS Sec. 46b-84.
How Are Child Support Payment Amounts Determined in Connecticut?
Connecticut courts follow mandatory guidelines in an effort to make fair and consistent child support orders. The Connecticut Child Support and Arrearage Guidelines are regulations which provide a formula to determine the child support payment amount. The Guidelines use the combined income of the mother and the father and the number of children to determine a child support amount.
The Connecticut Child Support and Arrearage Guidelines may be downloaded from the Judicial Branch website.
Custody and Visitation Issues
Child support and visitation rights are separate issues. The court determines both and will usually order the non-custodial parent to pay support and the custodial parent to make the child available for visits.
The custodial parent must obey the court order for visitation, even if the non-custodial parent cannot or will not pay child support. The court can enforce any of its orders against either parent.