NCDHHS

Guidance for COVID-19

Manage your child support case without visiting the office

North Carolina Child Support Services cares about our parents and guardians and want to ensure you can safely access and manage your case during the COVID-19 pandemic. To comply with social distancing criteria, we encourage you to join with us in taking steps to reduce the need for visits to the local Child Support Services offices. The eChild Support Parent's Portal provides alternatives to handle common activities such as obtaining the status of your case and payment information.

The portal allows you to make child support payments online, update demographic information and send an email to your case worker. You can also discuss by email any concerns you have about recent enforcement or delinquency communication you have received. You must register for a NCID to access your child support case on the Parent's Portal. Use the side menu to complete registration, review case information or access the history of payments made on a case. If you need to return documents to your local office, you can search for your local Child Support Services office address and return your forms by mail.

We acknowledge the changing economic status of our customers and aim to provide assistance and information for various situations from filing for unemployment benefits to how to handle pending court proceedings.

Our customer service center remains available to assist you Monday-Friday from 7:30 AM - 5:30 PM at 1-800-992-9457.

Child Tax Credit

The American Rescue Plan included a $3,000-$3,600 tax credit for families with children. Most families will receive this credit automatically. However, there are an estimated 4 to 8 million children whose families will not receive these payments automatically. In order to receive payment, families who did not file tax returns or who did not sign up to receive stimulus checks will need to register online with the IRS Non-filer Sign-up Tool.

Key Points:

  • Most families will automatically receive monthly payments without having to take any action.
  • Low-income families with children are eligible for this crucial tax relief - including those who have not made enough money to be required to file taxes - but they may need to sign up.
  • These payments do not count as income for any family. So, signing up won't affect eligibility for other federal benefits like SNAP and WIC.
  • Share #ChildTaxCredit and childtaxcredit.gov to spread the word.
North Carolina Division of Employment Security

The North Carolina Division of Employment Security is providing the following guidance to help people understand the impacts of the COVID-19 coronavirus on unemployment insurance benefits. This page https://des.nc.gov/need-help/covid-19-nc-unemployment-insurance-information will be updated as more information becomes available.

North Carolina Judicial Branch

To see if and how your case could be affected by COVID-19, please access the NC Judicial Branch's county announcements section. Additionally, view the county page in which the case is filed for any local announcements, as well as the closings and advisories page, then if needed contact the clerk of superior court office before you go to the courthouse.

Economic Impact Payments:

On March 27, 2020, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security ("CARES") Act, which authorizes economic impact payments (also referred to as "stimulus payments" or "recovery rebate payments") to eligible individuals. For details on these economic impact payments, please visit www.irs.gov/coronavirus.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Economic Impact (Stimulus) Payments and the Treasury Offset Program. Haga clic aquí para ver preguntas frecuentes en español

On March 13, 2020, the President of the United States declared a national emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic. NC Child Support Services (NCCSS) has received information from the Treasury Offset Program (TOP), which collects federal nontax and state debts, and has prepared the following frequently asked questions (FAQs) to address inquiries during this crisis. These FAQs are based on information available to NCCSS at this time, and NCCSS will update these FAQs as new information becomes available.

No, the second and third payments will not be intercepted for past-due support. Congress authorized these stimulus payments in COVID relief legislation passed on December 21, 2020 and the President signed it on December 27, 2020. However, unlike the first stimulus payment, Congress exempted these payments from the federal tax offset program for past-due child support. The North Carolina Child Support Program will also not garnish stimulus payments for past-due child support from accounts in financial institutions.
Yes, Recovery Rebate Credit may be intercepted for past-due child support. The tax law change in December 2020 allows interception of these payments.
The economic impact payments can be offset through the Treasury Offset Program (TOP) only to collect delinquent child support obligations that have been referred by the state to the TOP.
Yes. You were sent a notice when your case was initially submitted for the federal tax refund offset. The federal government should send an offset notice to you when your stimulus rebate payment has been intercepted. The notice will tell you that your stimulus rebate payment has been applied to your child support debt and to contact the Child Support Division if you believe this was done in error.
If you have questions regarding whether you owe a child support debt that has been referred to the Treasury Offset Program (TOP), you can call the TOP Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system at 1-800-304-3107.
The economic impact payments can be offset through the Treasury Offset Program (TOP) only to collect delinquent child support obligations that have been referred by the state to the TOP.
The threshold varies by the type of delinquency, known as arrears, owed. Cases with public assistance arrears are eligible if the total balance for all of his/her cases are at least $150. For non-public assistance arrears, the total balance from all his or her cases must be at least $500 to be eligible.
If the parent who owes support files a joint tax return with his/her spouse, it may take up to six (6) months for the payment to be applied and distributed to the parent who receives support. This allows the spouse of a parent responsible for support to appeal as an injured spouse as described below.

If you are receiving your economic impact payment jointly with your spouse and only the spouse owes the child support debt, you can file an Injured Spouse form with the IRS. Please visit the IRS website at https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-8379 to file your claim.

If you are married and filing jointly and you filed an injured spouse claim with your 2019 tax return (or 2018 tax return if you haven't filed your 2019 tax return), half of the total payment will be sent to each spouse and your spouse's payment will be offset only for past-due child support. There is no need to file another injured spouse claim for the payment.

You can also choose to waive your right to file an injured spouse claim. You can contact the NC Customer Service Center at 1-800-992-9457 and request an Affidavit to Release Joint Tax Return form. By completing this form and sending it to NCCSS, the amount of the economic impact payment can be applied to the child support arrearage without the otherwise required six-month delay.

Maybe. Federal law dictates how monies received by a state child support agency under the Federal Tax Refund Offset Program are distributed. In North Carolina, federal tax offsets are applied first to assigned arrears, or arrears owned by the state, and then to arrearages owed to the family. If there is money owed to the state, the intercepted stimulus payments, up to the amount owed to the state, will be retained by the state. The remainder of money will be sent to you, up to the amount of unassigned arrears owed to you by the noncustodial parent. The amount of money you are entitled to receive will depend on a number of factors, including the amount of the stimulus rebate payment intercepted, the amounts owed to you in your case, and the number of other child support cases in which the noncustodial parent owes child support arrears.
Maybe. If the noncustodial parent owes you child support arrears and the total arrears on all the noncustodial parent's cases meets the threshold amounts indicated in Question #6, then you should be entitled to receive monies intercepted from the noncustodial parent's stimulus rebate payment. The amount of the money you receive will depend on a number of factors, including the amount of the stimulus rebate payment intercepted, the amounts owed to you in your case, and the number of other child support cases in which the noncustodial parent owes child support arrears.
These questions, and others, can be answered by visiting the IRS website at www.irs.gov/newsroom/economic-impact-payments-what-you-need-to-know .
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Pagos de Impacto Económico:

El 27 de marzo de 2020, el Congreso aprobó la Ley de Ayuda, Alivio y Seguridad Económica de Coronavirus (CARES) que autoriza pagos de impacto económico (también denominados "pagos de estímulo" o "pagos de reembolso de recuperación") a individuos elegibles. Para obtener más información sobre estos pagos de impacto económico, visite www.irs.gov/coronavirus.

Preguntas frecuentes (FAQ) sobre los pagos de Impacto Económico (estímulo) y el Programa de Compensación del Tesoro. Click here for English Version of FAQ

El 13 de marzo de 2020, el Presidente de los Estados Unidos declaró una emergencia nacional debido a la pandemia del COVID-19. Los Servicios de Manutención Infantil de NC (NC Child Support Services NCCSS) ha recibido información del Programa de Compensación del Tesoro (TOP), que recopila deudas federales no tributarias y estatales y ha preparado las siguientes respuestas a preguntas frecuentes (FAQ) para abordar las consultas durante esta crisis. Estas preguntas frecuentes se basan en la información disponible para el NCCSS en este momento y el NCCSS actualizará estas preguntas frecuentes a medida que haya nueva información disponible.

No, el Segundo Pago de Estimulo no será interceptado para pagar deudas de Manutención Infantil. El Congreso autorizo un Segundo Pago de Ayuda a Causa del COVID en la legislación que paso en Diciembre 21 y que el presidente firmo en Diciembre 27, 2020. Pero, a diferencia del Primer Pago de Estimulo, el Congreso exentó este segundo pago de ser usado para pagar deudas de Manutención Infantil. El Programa de Manutención Infantil de Carolina del Norte no interceptará este Pago de Estimulo de las instituciones financieras para pagar adeudos de Manutención Infantil vencida.
Sí, el Crédito de Reembolso de Recuperación puede ser interceptado para el pago de Manutención Infantil vencida. El cambio de ley tributaria en diciembre de 2020 permite la interceptación de estos pagos.
Los pagos de impacto económico pueden ser aplicados a través del Programa de Compensación del Tesoro (TOP) sólo para pagar obligaciones de manutención infantil morosas que han sido referidas por el estado al TOP.
Sí. Se le envió un aviso cuando su caso fue enviado inicialmente para la compensación de reembolso de impuestos federales. El gobierno federal debe enviarle un aviso de la compensación cuando su pago de reembolso de estímulo haya sido interceptado. El aviso le dirá que su pago de reembolso de estímulo se ha aplicado a su deuda de manutención infantil y que se comunique con la División de Manutención infantil si cree que esto se hizo por error.
Si tiene preguntas sobre si tiene una deuda de manutención infantil que ha sido referida al Programa de Compensación del Tesoro (TOP), puede llamar al sistema TOP Interactive Voice Response (IVR) al 1-800-304-3107.
Los pagos de impacto económico pueden ser aplicados a través del Programa de Compensación del Tesoro (TOP) sólo para cobrar obligaciones de manutención infantil morosas que han sido referidas por el estado al TOP.
El umbral varía según el tipo de morosidad, conocida como atrasos, adeudada. Los casos con atrasos en asistencia pública son elegibles si el saldo total de todos sus casos es de al menos $150. Para los atrasos de asistencia no pública, el saldo total de todos sus casos debe ser de al menos $500 adeudados para ser elegible.
Si el padre (o madre) que debe apoyo presenta una declaración de impuestos conjunta con su cónyuge, el pago puede tardar hasta seis (6) meses en aplicarse y distribuirse al padre (o madre) que recibe el apoyo. Esto permite que el cónyuge de un padre (o madre) responsable de la manutención apele como cónyuge afectado (injured) como se describe a continuación.

Si usted está recibiendo su pago de impacto económico conjuntamente con su cónyuge y solo el cónyuge debe la deuda de manutención de niños, puede presentar un formulario de cónyuge afectado (injured) ante el IRS. Visite el sitio web del IRS en https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-form-8379 para presentar su reclamo.

Si usted está casado e hizo una declaración de impuestos de manera conjunta y presentó una reclamación de cónyuge afectado (injured) con su declaración de impuestos del 2019 (o declaración de impuestos de 2018 si no ha presentado su declaración de impuestos de 2019), la mitad del pago total se enviará a cada cónyuge y el pago de su cónyuge será aplicado sólo por la manutención de niños vencida. No hay necesidad de presentar otra reclamación de cónyuge afectado (injured) por el pago.

También puede optar por renunciar a su derecho a presentar una reclamación de cónyuge afectado (injured). Puede comunicarse con el Centro de Servicio al Cliente de NC al 1-800-992-9457 y solicitar una Declaración Jurada para Liberar el formulario de Declaración de Impuestos Conjunta. Al completar este formulario y enviarlo a NCCSS, el monto del pago de impacto económico se puede aplicar al atraso de manutención de niños sin el retraso de seis meses requerido de otro modo.

Quizás. La ley federal dicta cómo se distribuyen los fondos recibidos por una agencia estatal de manutención infantil bajo el Programa Federal de Compensación de Reembolso de Impuestos. En Carolina del Norte, las compensaciones fiscales federales se aplican primero a los atrasos asignados, o atrasos propiedad del estado, y luego a los atrasos adeudados a la familia. Si hay dinero adeudado al estado, los pagos de estímulo interceptados, hasta la cantidad adeudada al estado, serán retenidos por el estado. El resto del dinero se le enviará a usted, hasta la cantidad de atrasos no asignados que le adeuda el padre (o madre) sin custodia. La cantidad de dinero que tiene derecho a recibir dependerá de una serie de factores, incluyendo la cantidad del pago de reembolso de estímulo interceptado, las cantidades que se le adeudan en su caso y el número de otros casos de manutención infantil en los que el padre sin custodia debe atrasos en manutención de niños.

Quizás. Si el padre (o madre) sin custodia le debe a su hijo manutención atrasada y los atrasos totales en todos los casos de los padres (o madres) sin custodia cumplen con los montos umbral indicados en la pregunta #6, entonces usted debe tener derecho a recibir dinero interceptado del pago de reembolso de estímulo del padre (o madre) sin custodia. La cantidad del dinero que recibe dependerá de una serie de factores, incluyendo el monto del pago de reembolso de estímulo interceptado, las cantidades que se le adeudan en su caso y el número de otros casos de manutención infantil en los que el padre (o madre) sin custodia debe atrasos en manutención de niños.

Estas preguntas, y otras, pueden ser respondidas visitando el sitio web del IRS en www.irs.gov/newsroom/economic-impact-payments-what-you-need-to-know

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