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Child Support General Information
Child Support General Information
Click the links below to find more information to aid you.
Making Payments

The person making the payments is the Payor or Obligor.
The person receiving the payments is the Payee or Obligee.

The State Disbursement Unit processes payments within 48 hours of receipt and mails payments the next business day after processing.

All payments should be mailed to:
Texas State Disbursement Unit
P.O. Box 659791
San Antonio, TX 78265

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Direct Deposit (ACH)

If your payments have been redirected to the State Disbursement Unit (SDU), the SDU requires you to submit new direct deposit application. You can retrieve a copy of it at the
Office of the Attorney General. Please return to the address listed on the form.

The following information must be provided to establish direct deposit.

  1. Payee’s bank account number
  2. Is account checking or savings
  3. Bank’s 9 digit routing number
  4. Bank’s name
  5. Bank’s mailing address
  6. Bank’s telephone
  7. Payee’s name
  8. Payor’s name
  9. Cause number
  10. Payee’s current mailing address
  11. Payee’s daytime telephone number and work number
  12. Payee’s social security number
  13. Payee’s signature

Once the TXCSDU receives your Authorization Form for direct deposit, please allow thirty (30) days for the conversion from check to direct deposit.
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Payment History

We can provide a payment history to anyone who asks. A payment history is a list of the payments that were paid through Harris County Child Support and also through the State Disbursement Unit (SDU). We do not keep a record of payments sent directly to the Attorney General’s Office nor can we record payments that are made directly to the payee. However, you may retrieve the Attorney General's payment history by clicking here; this will redirect you to the Attorney General's web page. A payment history is public record. The ways an individual may obtain a payment history are:

  • Send a self-addressed stamped envelope to : 

    • Harris County Child  Support
    1115 Congress, Room 10
    Houston, Texas 77002-1927
    Cause number must be included with the request. 

  • Retrieve from our Web site:  Payment History
Note: Law (Privacy Act, Govt. code section 552.101), prohibits us from giving out the payee’s and/or the payor’s address and phone number. This information should not be given to anyone regardless of his or her association to the case. The only time address information can be released is if we receive a court order signed by the judge. For this reason, address information is not on the payment history.
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Payment Types Legend
This is an explanation of some of the most frequently used payment types that are listed on the third column of the payment history printout.
Payment Type Description
CA CASH - Indicates a cash payment.
CC CASHIER’S CHECK - Indicates a cashier’s check payment.
CO COMPANY CHECK - Indicates a company check payment.
CP CANCELED PAYMENT - This is an entry made to cancel a payment issued in error or if we received a return item from the bank due to insufficient funds, stop payment, etc. We will collect future payments on this account until the cancelled payment is paid in full.
DP DISBURSE PAYMENT - The disbursement of a payment that was previously being held as an UN, VU or RU.
GC GOVERNMENT CHECK - A check issued from a governmental entity.
LB LOCK BOX - Indicates that the payment was processed through our lock box operation.
MO MONEY ORDER - Indicates a money order payment.
OA ON ACCOUNT - These are funds collected as a recovery for a canceled payment. This money is never sent to the payee; it is a recovery to the child support office.
OT OTHER - This indicates another type of payment.
PH PAYMENT HISTORY INPUT - When an internal adjustment is performed by inputting payments on a case payment history.
PA PAYMENT HISTORY ADJUSTMENT - When an internal adjustment is performed to indicate that a payment was not actually received on that payment history.
PC PERSONAL CHECK - Indicates a personal check payment.
RA RE-ISSUED ON ACCOUNT - These funds were collected by our office because there was a canceled payment on the account.
RI RE-ISSUED - A check that was reissued due to a void (VO).
RU REISSUED UNDELIVERABLE - When a case has been flagged with a bad address prior to the check being voided.
SC STATE COLLECTION - indicates that the payment was processed by the State Disbursement Unit.
UN UNDELIVERABLE - Indicates the payment was received and we were not able to disburse the funds due to the lack of a current address. These funds remain in the payable amount until we receive a current address.
VA VOID ACH - Funds were returned by the payee's bank for various reasons.
VU VOID UNDELIVERABLE - This indicates that a check was returned to us by the Post Office due to a bad address.
VO VOID -These are checks that have been voided either by request of a stop payment or returned to our office for reissue either to the same case or, in some situations it is reissued to a different case. A VO will always have an associated RI, RU, or RA either on that case or on another case.
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Payment History Report Legend
Type Description
PAYMENT DATE Date the payment was posted or the correction was entered.
PAYMENT AMOUNT The amount of the payment received from the payor.
TYPE Explanation of the payment type.
WARRANT NUMBER This is the Harris County Child Support check number. Attorney General and direct deposit cases will have an internal audit number because the funds were electronically transferred. This will be noted by an “A” in front of the number. When money is disbursed from the suspense account it will be noted by a “T” followed by the check number of the payment that was transferred from the suspense account.
WARRANT DATE The date that is on the check and it is also the date the funds were posted.
WARRANT AMOUNT The amount of the check sent to the payee.
CASE TYPE This is used to distinguish certain case types and cases that have had a change of payee.
SERVICE CHARGE Fees collected as court ordered, more common in older cases.
CHECK NUMBER This is the check number of the payment sent to us from the payor or their company.
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Stop Payment
A stop payment is a request made only by the payee when their child support payment has not been received. If your payments have been redirected to the State Disbursement Unit (SDU), you will have to submit an SDU stop payment form. You can retrieve the form at Office of the Attorney General , click on Child Support, then click on Forms & Contacts, and then click Request for Warrant Cancellation. Once you bring up Warrant Cancellation, there are two Warrant Cancellation forms available.
 
  • If the Office to the Attorney General is providing child support order establishment or enforcement services in addition to the processing of support payments, you will use the Warrant Cancellation Request—Full Service Cases form (1760-FS)
  • If the only service provided by the Office of the Attorney General is the processing of support payments, you will use the Warrant Cancellation Request—Registry Only Cases form (1760-RO)
To ensure you download the correct form, you will be asked to enter your eight digit Customer Identification Number (CIN) in the space indicated and click the “Get Form” button.
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Child Support Filing Information

Initial Filing

Harris County Child Support does not have the paperwork to establish child support. When you want to establish child support, you can hire an attorney, ask the Attorney General for representation, contact the Harris County Domestic Relations Office or go to any law library to obtain information on how to prepare your own petition for child support. The Harris County Law Library is located at 1019 Congress, 17th floor , Houston, Texas 77002-1700.

Establishing a Case in the Child Support System

In order to have a case established in our system, you must have a signed court order from a Harris County Family District Court. Harris County Child Support must receive the Child Support Information Sheet with a copy of the signed court order. After we receive this information from the payee, the payor, one of the attorneys or the Attorney General’s Office, we will establish the case in our system and payments received will be processed by the State Disbursement Unit.

Monitoring Program

The Harris County Child Support Office, through partnership with the Domestic Relation’s Office and the Attorney General’s Office, has implemented the FOCAS (Focus on Collection and Services) Program. The FOCAS Program monitors the collection of child support and will contact the Non-Custodial Parent when he/she falls behind in their child support. To have child support enforced through this program, you may contact one of the following:

  • The Attorney General’s Office- They are a state office that can assist in every aspect of child support enforcement. Their telephone number is (713) 243-7100.
  • The Harris County Domestic Relations Office- This agency assists Harris County residents (the applicant is required to reside in Harris County and the other party in Texas) with enforcement of child support, enforcement of visitation, paternity establishment and termination of wage withholding and offers attorney consultations. The telephone number is (713) 755-6757.
  • A private attorney
  • Third-party collectors- These are private child support collection agencies.
Modification of Child Support

A modification is any change to the terms of a child support order and must be signed by a judge. Possible changes include an increase or decrease in child support, a change of payee, change of payor, or the frequency of the payment. This modification must be submitted to Harris County Child Support before the change can be made in our system. To obtain a modification, you must contact a private attorney, the Harris County Domestic Relations Office, the Attorney General’s Office or obtain information from a law library on how to prepare your own modification. The Harris County Law Library is located at 1019 Congress, 17th floor, Houston, Texas 77002-1700.

Wage Withholding

After the judge has signed a wage withholding order, customers wanting the payor’s wages withheld should contact our Family Intake Section. Family Intake's mailing address is:

Harris County District Clerk’s Office
P.O Box 4651
Houston, TX 77210-4651.

Family Intake's physical address is:
1115 Congress, Room 23
Houston, TX 77002-1927

The phone number is (713) 755-5758. There is a $15 fee for this service. Family Intake accepts cash, cashier’s checks, credit cards or money orders as payment. Family Intake does not accept personal checks. A new wage-withholding request must be filed each time the payor changes employment.

Termination of Child Support

Harris County Child Support can NOT determine whether child support can or will be stopped. If your case is with the Attorney General, you will need to contact them directly. If your case is not with the Attorney General you should refer back to your court order or your attorney for information regarding termination of child support. If wages are being garnished you will need to contact your employer to find out what is required by the employer to terminate child support. Should a termination order be necessary, you will need to contact either a private attorney, the Harris County Domestic Relations Office or go to any law library to retrieve information on how to prepare your own termination order. The Harris County Law Library is located at 1019 Congress, 17th floor, Houston, Texas 77002-1700.

Payee Deceased

If the payee is deceased and the payee information needs to be changed, we need a signed court order by a Harris County judge. The order can be from the Family Courts or the Probate Courts, stating the name of the new person set to receive the payments or the person who has legal guardianship of the children. We cannot return the money to the payor without a signed court order. This order, once signed by the judge, must be submitted to Harris County Child Support before this change can be made in our system.

Transferring a Case From One County to Another
To move a case from one county to another, a Change of Venue needs to be filed with Family Intake. Their phone number is (713) 755-5758.

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Child Support Changes to Case Information
Change of Address
Only the payor or payee can request a change to their address. The following information must be provided:
  • Cause number
  • Payor and payee’s name
  • The old address and the new address
  • Signature of the person making the request
  • Copy of the state-issued valid I.D.
  • Daytime telephone number

We CANNOT make Payee address changes on Attorney General cases.

The request for change of address may be done in person, at 1115 Congress, Room 10, at our information window or by fax at (713) 755-4359.  You may also mail the request to 1115 Congress, Room 10, Houston Texas 77002-1902.

Name Update

Only the payor or payee can request a change to their name. The following information must be provided:

  • Cause number
  • Payor and payee’s name
  • The new and old name of the person changing his/her name
  • Signature of person making the change
  • Daytime telephone number
  • One of the following documents
  • A copy of your state-issued valid I.D. noting your new name
  • A copy of your marriage certificate
  • Signed court order stating the change of name

The request for change of name may be done in person, at 1115 Congress, Room 10, at our information window or by fax at (713) 755-4359.  You may also mail the request to 1115 Congress, Room 10, Houston Texas 77002-1927.

Change of Direct Deposit
NOTE: If your payments have been redirected to the State Disbursement Unit (SDU), the SDU requires you to submit new direct deposit application. You can retrieve a copy of it at www.oag.state.tx.us, click on Child Support, then on Contacts & Forms, then on Direct Deposit. Please return to the address listed on the form.


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