Where to Report Non-Payment in Texas

Report non-payment of child support to the Texas Attorney General's Child Support Division, which handles enforcement statewide. You do not need a lawyer to file a report. If you have an existing child support case, you can report directly to your case worker at the local child support office that manages your order — find the office serving your county on the Texas Attorney General website. If you do not have an active case yet, you can start one through the same office.

You can also report non-payment to the court that issued the child support order. Contact the district clerk's office in the county where the order was signed. The court can hold a hearing and enforce the order through contempt proceedings, which can result in wage garnishment, license suspension, or jail time for the obligor (the person ordered to pay).

For cases involving federal employees, military members, or obligors in other states, the Texas Attorney General's office handles interstate enforcement through the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA). Report these cases to your local child support office, and they will coordinate with the other state or federal agency.

Key Takeaways

  • Report non-payment to your local child support office or the Texas Attorney General's Child Support Division — you do not need a lawyer to file.
  • Have your case number, the obligor's Social Security number, and documentation of missed payments ready when you report.
  • The state can enforce through wage garnishment, tax intercept, license suspension, or contempt of court proceedings.
  • If the obligor lives in another state, your local office will use interstate enforcement procedures at no cost to you.
  • Response time varies, but the state must acknowledge your report and begin investigation within 30 days.

What Documents and Information You Need

Gather your child support order before you report. You will need the case number, which appears on the order itself or any payment statement from the state. Have the obligor's full name, date of birth, and Social Security number if you know it. If you do not have the SSN, provide any other identifying information — employer name, address, phone number.

Bring documentation of the non-payment: payment records showing what was paid and when, a statement from your bank showing deposits (or lack of them), or a payment history from the state's online system. If you receive payments through the state's payment processing center, you can log into your account to print a statement. If the obligor has missed multiple months, list the specific months and amounts owed.

If the obligor has recently changed jobs or moved, provide that information too. The state uses employment and address data to locate obligors and enforce orders, so current details speed up the process.

How to File a Report at Your Local Child Support Office

Call or visit the child support office serving your county. You can find the office address and phone number on the Texas Attorney General's website by entering your county name. Tell the case worker that you are reporting non-payment on an existing case. Provide your case number and explain which payments have been missed.

The case worker will ask you to describe the non-payment pattern — whether it is one missed payment, several months in a row, or sporadic. They will also ask whether the obligor has contacted you about hardship or simply stopped paying. Be specific about dates and amounts.

You can file the report in person, by phone, or by mail. If you file by mail, send a letter to your local office with your case number, the obligor's name and SSN, the months of non-payment, and the amounts owed. Keep a copy for your records. The office will send you a confirmation once they receive and open an enforcement action.

Enforcement Tools the State Can Use

Once you report non-payment, the state has several enforcement options. Wage garnishment is the most common: the state sends an order to the obligor's employer requiring them to withhold child support from each paycheck. This happens automatically for most new orders and can be activated for existing cases when non-payment is reported.

Tax intercept means the state intercepts federal and state tax refunds and applies them to the child support debt. This is automatic for cases referred to the state, and you do not need to request it separately. License suspension can apply to driver's licenses, professional licenses, and recreational licenses (hunting, fishing). The obligor receives notice before suspension and has a chance to request a hearing.

The state can also file a contempt of court motion, which asks the court to hold a hearing and find the obligor in contempt for violating the child support order. If the court finds contempt, the obligor can be ordered to pay the debt immediately, fined, or jailed until they pay. Jail is typically used only when the obligor has the ability to pay but refuses.

For obligors who are self-employed or have irregular income, the state may request a show cause hearing, where the obligor must appear in court and explain why they have not paid. The court can modify the order if circumstances have changed, or enforce the existing order if the obligor simply refused to pay.

Timeline for Enforcement Action

The state must acknowledge your report within 30 days and begin investigation. However, the actual time to enforce varies. If the obligor is employed and the state can locate them quickly, wage garnishment can begin within 4 to 8 weeks. If the obligor is self-employed, unemployed, or has moved, it may take longer.

Tax intercept happens once a year when tax refunds are filed, usually in spring. If the obligor owes back child support and files a federal return, the refund is intercepted automatically — you do not need to request this each year.

Court hearings for contempt or modification typically occur 4 to 12 weeks after the state files the motion, depending on the court's schedule. You will be notified of the hearing date and can attend to testify about the non-payment.

During this time, arrears (unpaid child support) continue to accrue. Interest is not charged on child support debt in Texas, but the obligor remains responsible for the full amount owed, and enforcement can continue indefinitely until the debt is paid.

What Happens If the Obligor Lives Out of State

If the obligor has moved to another state, your local child support office will use UIFSA (Uniform Interstate Family Support Act) to enforce the order. Texas will register the order in the other state and ask that state's child support agency to enforce it. This process is free to you and does not require you to hire a lawyer or travel.

The other state will attempt to locate the obligor, establish employment, and garnish wages just as Texas would. Response time is typically longer — 8 to 16 weeks — because it involves coordination between two states. Your local office will keep you updated on the status.

If the obligor is in a state that does not cooperate or cannot locate them, your local office can ask the court to issue a contempt order that applies across state lines, or request that the obligor be located through federal channels (Social Security Administration, IRS, Department of Defense).

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to go to court to report non-payment?

No. You can report non-payment directly to your local child support office by phone, mail, or in person. The office will investigate and pursue enforcement without you filing anything in court. However, if you want to file a contempt motion yourself, you can contact the district clerk's office in the county where the order was issued and ask about filing procedures.

What if the obligor says they cannot pay because of job loss or hardship?

Report the non-payment anyway. The state will investigate the obligor's circumstances. If the obligor has genuinely lost income, they can request a modification of the child support order through the court. A modification can lower or suspend payments temporarily, but it must be approved by a judge. Non-payment without a court order is still a violation, even if hardship exists.

Can I report non-payment if I do not have a formal child support order?

If you do not have a court order, you will need to establish one first. Contact your local child support office and ask to start a case. The office can help you locate the other parent and establish paternity if needed. Once an order is in place, you can report non-payment. This process typically takes 2 to 6 months.

Will reporting non-payment affect my custody arrangement?

Reporting non-payment does not automatically change custody. However, if the obligor is also the custodial parent and is in contempt of the child support order, the court can consider this in custody decisions. Custody and child support are separate issues, but a pattern of non-compliance with court orders can influence both.

How long does the state pursue enforcement if the obligor does not pay?

Texas pursues enforcement until the child support debt is paid in full. There is no statute of limitations on child support arrears. Even if the obligor disappears or moves repeatedly, the state can continue enforcement through wage intercept, tax intercept, and license suspension indefinitely. Once the child reaches age 18 (or 19 if still in high school), future support stops, but arrears remain collectible.