Office of Integrated Access and Support

Maine Child Support (Division of Support Enforcement & Recovery)

Division Services

This section provides information about the Division's child support services in Full Service Cases.

Child support enforcement services include:

Establishing paternity for children born out of wedlock and establishing child support orders for current and past support.
Establishing child support orders including medical support and child care obligations.
Locating non-custodial parents.
Enforcing child support, spousal support, medical support, and child care obligations.
Recording and distributing child support payments.
Reviewing and taking necessary steps to modify child support orders when circumstances change.

Once a support obligation is established by court or administrative order the Division may collect child support from the obligor. Some of the ways the Division collects support are by income withholding order, garnishment, liens, tax refund intercept, and court actions filed by the Department of Attorney General. The collection methods the Division uses depend on the facts of each case and may not result in collections of child support, because the obligor moves, leaves the State, changes employers, or has no identifiable income or assets. Other factors also may affect the Division’s ability to collect child support.

Child support enforcement services do not include:

Giving legal advice.
Getting divorce judgments or spousal support orders.
Enforcing visitation rights.
Getting involved in custody matters.
Enforcing property settlements.

When services end:

If at any time you no longer want the Division’s services, tell us this in a letter. If the Division wants to end services, we will tell you in writing and explain why. We will give you a chance to respond before ending services. Some of the reasons for ending services are:

The obligor no longer owes child support.
You or your representative will not cooperate with us.
We cannot send you payments because we do not have your current address.