Child Support Guidelines for Alaska
When the court issues a child custody order, child support is not optional. It cannot be waived by the non-custodial parent. The federal government recognizes that child are entitled to support by both their parents. Child support in Alaska is governed by the Alaska Child Support Services Division (CSSD). CSSD is divided up into three sections: Customer Service Section, Establishment Section, and Enforcement Section.
Customer Service Section is the main point of contact for those wishing to file for child support. The Establishment Section works on cases where paternity may need to be determined. They try to determine paternity either through an affidavit from the father or through genetic testing. If the suspected father in question refuses genetic testing, the CSSD can have it ordered. After paternity is established, they then determine the support payment amounts for the non-custodial parent. The Enforcement Section works to collect child support payments, keep records of payments, and then distribute the payments to the custodial parents. The state of Alaska take child support payments very seriously and can use any or all of the following means to obtain child support funds: withhold income, attach bank accounts, and seize tax refunds from the IRS, Alaska Permanent Fund dividends or other person assets. Non-paying parents will also be reported to credit bureaus.
The agency provides many services to custodial parents or legal guardians. They can locate missing parents, establish paternity, establish the child support orders (which include monetary payments as well as medical coverage), review and change child support orders if needed, and provide direct deposit of child support payments.
To apply for child support in Alaska, you must provide the CSSD with a complete application, a history of payments already made by the non-custodial parent as well as any additional information about that parent such as name, address, income information, etc. A copy of your child custody or support order should also be attached to the application. Once a year, you can send a written request to the other parent asking them to provide their tax returns and pay stubs to calculate their income. These documents must be provided within 30 days of the written request.
If the non-custodial parent lives in another state, the case will be referred to that state then they would review the case and set the monthly payment amount based on income. It may take as long as six to nine months for the other state to open the case.
In many cases, the court will set the amount of child support due in the order. If there is no support order, the CSSD determines what child support obligations the non-custodial parent must pay based on guidelines established in the Civil Court Rule 90.3, which looks at the percentage of parent’s income as well as the number of children.
If CSSD establishes the monthly amount due in a support order, either parent may ask for a review for modification. You cannot appeal court ordered child support payments through the CSSD – that has to be done in court, however, the CSSD will assist you.
To check your child support payments online, log into the KIDS Online Payment Information page. Your member number is needed for login. This is provided in the first letters sent about your case, but can also be found in the paying parent’s monthly statements.