CHILD SUPPORT
FOLLOW THE MONEY. UNDERSTAND TITLE IV-D. EXAMINE THE DATA. KNOW WHAT THE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO DO.
What Is Child Support?
Child support is generally intended to provide financial support for children following separation or divorce. The Pissed Off Parent Matrix also examines the governmental structures, incentives, funding mechanisms and outcomes surrounding child-support enforcement.
🔴 RED PILL
Look beyond the monthly payment and examine the system surrounding the payment.
- Title IV-D
- Federal-state funding
- State incentive payments
- Child support enforcement
- Public assistance reimbursement
- Collection mechanisms
- Custody and parenting-time relationships
🔵 BLUE PILL
Start with the basic question: where does the money go?
- How orders are established
- Who collects the money
- How payments are distributed
- How arrears are handled
- What government programs are involved
- How federal funding enters the system
- What happens when public assistance is involved
Title IV-D Of The Social Security Act
Title IV-D is the federal framework governing child-support enforcement programs operated by the states.
THE 1975 PROGRAM
Title IV-D of the Social Security Act was created in 1975 as a federal-state child-support enforcement program. It provides federal funding to help states establish and operate child-support enforcement programs.
The program includes activities such as locating parents, establishing parentage, establishing support orders and enforcing support obligations.
READ SOCIAL SECURITY ACTHow The Funding Structure Works
The federal child-support enforcement system includes reimbursement and incentive mechanisms. Understanding those mechanisms is central to understanding Title IV-D.
FEDERAL FUNDING
Federal funds help states operate eligible child-support enforcement activities.
OFFICE OF CHILD SUPPORTSTATE PROGRAMS
Each state operates a child-support enforcement program within the federal Title IV-D framework.
STATE PROGRAMSINCENTIVE PAYMENTS
Federal incentive payments are part of the financing structure for state child-support enforcement programs.
READ 42 USC §658AState Incentive Payments
The data below shows incentive-payment amounts across states for multiple fiscal years.
TOTALS SHOWN IN THE TABLE
The displayed table reports national totals of approximately $563 million for 2017, $575 million for 2018, $588 million for 2019, and $600 million for 2020. The 2021 column in the displayed table contains NA values.
Use the federal source material when evaluating current incentive payment amounts because these figures change over time.
Custody Breakdown By Sex
The chart below presents the historical custody breakdown by sex shown in the resource.
1993
Custodial mother
1995–1999
Custodial mother
2003–2007
Custodial mother
2007
Custodial father
Family Structure & Poverty Data
These charts show the state-by-state percentages presented in the resource, including single-parent households and family poverty measures.
State-by-State Family Data
The following maps provide another visual way to examine state-level differences in family structure and poverty.
Welfare & Family Structure
The graphic cites CIS.org, CDC.gov and PewSocialTrends.org as sources for the statistics displayed within the image.
A social-media statement concerning the perceived economic incentives surrounding child support.
Law, Funding & Court Structure
Several legal and academic resources connected to the child-support funding discussion are available below.
Excerpt concerning Title IV-D and whether the federal statutory requirements create an individual federal right to child-support services.
Research excerpt discussing child-support enforcement, state funding and parenting time.
Research excerpt concerning federal reimbursement, incentive funds and state child-support programs.
BLESSING v. FREESTONE
The Supreme Court addressed whether individuals could enforce Title IV-D requirements through a private federal claim. The decision is an important resource when discussing the distinction between a federal program requirement and an individually enforceable federal right.
READ BLESSING v. FREESTONEChild Support & Title IV-D Videos
Explore the Title IV-D and child-support videos associated with the Pissed Off Parent resource library.
HISTORY OF TITLE IV-D CHILD SUPPORT SECRETS
Molly K. Olson discusses the history and development of the Title IV-D child-support enforcement system.
WATCH ON YOUTUBEWHAT IS TITLE IV-D FUNDING?
A primer explaining the federal Title IV-D funding structure.
WATCH ON YOUTUBEMORE CHILD SUPPORT VIDEOS
The Pissed Off Parent video archive includes videos on Title IV-D, child-support enforcement, government funding, custody, paternity and the economics of family court.
OPEN VIDEO LIBRARYMore Videos To Investigate
Selected child-support and Title IV-D resources from the video library.
CHILD SUPPORT IS A GOVERNMENT RUN BUSINESS
A video examining the governmental side of child-support enforcement.
OPEN VIDEOLAWYER ADMITS CHILD SUPPORT IS FOR LAWYERS NOT KIDS?
A discussion concerning incentives and the economics surrounding child-support litigation.
OPEN VIDEOCHILD SUPPORT RUINED MY LIFE... I LOST.
A personal account concerning the financial consequences of child-support obligations.
OPEN VIDEOCHILD SUPPORT IS BIG BUSINESS
A long-form discussion about the economics of child support.
OPEN VIDEOArticles & Studies
Research and journalism concerning child support, Title IV-D, family structure, poverty and enforcement.
CALIFORNIA KEEPS MILLIONS IN CHILD SUPPORT
CalMatters investigation into child-support collections, government retention and debt.
READ ARTICLE4 PROBLEMS WITH THE MODERN CHILD SUPPORT SYSTEM
Discussion of structural problems associated with modern child-support systems.
READ ARTICLETHE ABSENT BLACK FATHER
UCLA Law Review article examining race, the welfare-child-support system and fatherlessness.
OPEN PDFCHILD SUPPORT HELP — AUSTRALIA
International child-support resource provided for comparison.
OPEN RESOURCENEW U.S. SENATE BILL — UNBORN CHILD SUPPORT
Article discussing a proposed federal bill concerning child-support payments during pregnancy.
READ ARTICLESTATE INCENTIVE CALCULATIONS
Federal statutory framework concerning child-support incentive payments.
READ LAWTexas Child Support Funding
Texas statutes and federal funding rules provide the legal framework surrounding the state's Title IV-D program.
TEXAS TITLE IV-D FUNDING
The research resource on this page references Texas Family Code provisions concerning state and federal funds associated with Title IV-D cases.
TEXAS FAMILY CODE 42 USC §655 42 USC §658APublic Assistance & Child Support
Public-assistance programs and child-support enforcement have historically been connected through federal and state reimbursement mechanisms.
TANF
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families is one of the federal programs connected to the broader welfare system.
TANF RESOURCECHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT
The federal Office of Child Support Services provides information about the national child-support enforcement program.
OPEN OCSEFederal Child Support Resources
Additional Documentation
Additional Child Support Research
Continue the research through the broader Pissed Off Parent document and study archive.
PISSED OFF PARENT BOOKS / ARTICLES / STUDIES
The research archive contains Title IV-D studies, child-support data, Texas law, federal documents, custody research and equal-shared-parenting studies.
OPEN RESEARCH MATRIXTEXAS CHILD SUPPORT NUMBERS
Texas-specific discussion of child-support funding, incentive payments and state financial data.
READ TEXAS DATATEXAS PARENTHOOD TAX
A visual examination of the economic impact of child support and parenting time in Texas.
OPEN PDFPREPARING FOR DIVORCE
Practical information concerning custody, child support, parenting time and divorce planning.
OPEN GUIDEThe Child Support Matrix
Child support does not exist in isolation. The broader family court system connects parenting time, custody, child support, public assistance, enforcement, federal funding and state administration.
Follow The Money
LEGAL DISCLAIMER: Pissed Off Parent is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. I am not an attorney — more importantly, I am not YOUR attorney.
This website provides educational information, personal experiences, research, publicly available documents and commentary. It does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Laws, regulations, funding formulas and court procedures change. Jurisdiction matters. Consult a qualified attorney licensed in the applicable jurisdiction for advice about your particular circumstances.
FOLLOW THE MONEY.
Read the law. Examine the funding. Look at the data. Watch the videos. Then decide what questions you need answered about your own situation.
OPEN FEDERAL RESOURCES OPEN RESEARCH VAULT WATCH VIDEO LIBRARY