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• Arrears Match Program

Child Support Arrears Match Program

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the Arrears Match Program?
A. The child support program will match payments you make towards your child support case and credit the same amount towards your arrears balance owed to the state.

Example 1: You have a current charging obligation of $200 with a $25 arrears payback per month, a $1000 balance owed to the state, and $0 balance owed to the custodial parent. You make a payment of $225 towards your case in the month of October. You will satisfy your current support obligation for the month and pay $25 towards your arrears balance reducing it to $975. The child support program will match your payment and your arrears balance owed to the state will be reduced by $225 making it $750.

Example 2: You have a current charging obligation of $200 with a $25 arrears payback per month, a $2000 balance owed to the state, and $0 balance owed to the custodial parent. You have an active income withholding and your employer makes a total payment of $225 in the month of October. You make an additional payment of $500 towards your case in the month of October. You will satisfy your current support obligation for the month and pay $525 towards your arrears balance reducing it to $1475. The child support program will match the payments and your arrears balance owed to the state will be reduced by $725 making it $750.

Example 3: You have no current charging obligation with a balance of $1000 owed to the custodial parent and $1000 owed to the state. You make a payment of $500. The payment will go to the custodial parent and the arrears balance owed to the custodial parent will reduce to $500. The child support program will match your payment and your arrears balance owed to the state will be reduced to $500.

Example 4: You have no current charging obligation with a balance of $0 owed to the custodial parent and $1000 owed to the state. You make a payment of $500. The payment will go toward your state arrears balance and reduce it to $500. The child support program will match your payment and reduce your state arrears balance to $0.

Example 5: You have two open child support cases. Case 1 has a current support obligation of $100 per month and no arrears owed to the custodial parent or the state. Case 2 has no current support obligation with a balance of $0 owed to the custodial parent and $1000 owed to the state. You make a payment of $100 in the month of October. The payment will apply to Case 1 and no funds will apply to Case 2; therefore we will not match your payment and reduce your state arrears balance on Case 2. You will need to make an additional payment in the month of October to apply to Case 2 in order to participate in the Arrears Match Program.

Q. Who is eligible for this program?
A. Noncustodial parents with arrears owed to the state. There is no minimum payment amount and no minimum arrears balance to qualify.

Q. What are arrears owed to the state?
A. Monies owed for the reimbursement of assistance paid to the family through the County Welfare Agency.

Q. How do I know if I have arrears owed to the state?
A. All eligible noncustodial parents received a letter in the mail regarding the Arrears Match Program including their arrears balance owed to the state. You can also call the New Jersey Family Support Services Center at 1-877-NJKiDS1 to find out if you owe arrears to the state.

Q. How long does the Arrears Match Program run?
A. The Program runs from October 1, 2021 through October 31, 2021.

Q. What types of payments are eligible for this program?
A. The child support program will match payments made by cash, lump sum payments, check or money order, and income withholding payments.

Q. I already have income withholding payments being deducted from my employer and sent to the child support program. Will those payments count?
A. Yes, income withholding payments are eligible for the Arrears Match Program.

Q. What types of payments are not eligible for this program?
A. The child support program will not match federal tax offsets, state tax offsets, levies, lottery intercepts, insurance settlements, and worker’s compensation payments

Q. How can I make a payment?
A. Payments can be made through the New Jersey Child Support Mobile App, by phone, by mail, online, in-store at participating retailers, or at your local child support office. Please visit www.njchildsupport.org/payment-options to find the best option for you, including local office hours and locations.

Q. Can I make more than one payment during the month?
A. Yes, you can make as many payments as you would like during the month. All payments received in October will be matched by the child support program to reduce your arrears balance owed to the state.

Q. I have multiple child support cases, why is only one case number listed on the Arrears Match Program notice that I received in the mail?
A. Only cases eligible for this program will be listed on your notice. If a case is not listed on your notice, then you do not have an arrears balance owed to the state on that case. If you feel there may be an error on your notice, please contact the New Jersey Family Support Services Center at 1-877-NJKIDS1.

Q. I live in another state but make payments on my child support case to New Jersey. Does my payment count?
A. Yes, any payments made to New Jersey on eligible cases will count for the program. We will send notice to the other state to adjust the arrears balance as appropriate.

Q. When will I see the arrears reduction in my child support balance?
A. Since payments may be received during the entire month of October, the arrears reduction will be processed November 20, 2021. You should see the adjustment at that time.

Q. Can my arrears balance be reduced below $0?
A. No, the lowest amount that your arrears owed to the state can be reduced to is $0.

Q. Does this program reduce money owed to the custodial parent?
​A. No, this program only reduces your arrears balance owed to the state.