Dakota County Community Services Division

Child Support Services (CSS)

The Minnesota Department of Human Services Child Support Division and county child support agencies work with both parents to establish and enforce child support court orders.

Description

Every child needs financial support and has the right to this support from both parents. Even when parents do not live together, they need to work together to support their child. Child support is money parents pay to their child's other parent or caregiver for the support of the child. The court orders the support which generally includes financial, medical, and child care support.

Child support services include:

• Locating parents
• Establishing parentage
• Establishing court orders for basic, medical, and child care support
• Enforcing support orders
• Reviewing and asking the court to modify support orders when appropriate
• Working with other states to enforce support orders
• Processing payments

Additional resources:

• Minnesota child support online
• State child support programs and services

Features

• Area Served by County
  • Dakota County

• Specialization
  • Family

Eligibility

Child support services are available to:

• Parents of minor children if one parent does not live with the child
• Parents who pay court-ordered child support
• People who have court-ordered, physical custody of a minor child
• People who receive public assistance for a minor child who lives in their home

Application Instructions

Call the county child support agency to get a paper application for child support services or use the online application

You do not need to apply for services if the other parent lives away from your home and you or your child receive public assistance including: Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP), Medical Assistance (MA), Diversionary Work Program (DWP), Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Title IV-E Foster Care, or Child Care Assistance. The county financial worker will automatically refer the case for full child support services.

Fee

Applying for county child support services is free. However, there may be fees taken out of payments collected through the state, as required by law. More information is available online.