How Child Support Services Are Organized in Alabama

Child support in Alabama is a state-run service delivered through local offices. If you need to open a case, find a missing parent, or learn why a payment has not arrived, you will most likely deal with the Child Support Services Division of the Alabama Department of Human Resources, usually shortened to DHR. This page lists 86 offices across the state, and a little background can save you a wasted trip.

Alabama has 67 counties, and our database has listings in 66 of them. The listings follow a consistent pattern: the town name followed by Child Support & Enforcement Office. Some counties have a dedicated office, while a few small counties appear to be served from a neighboring county's location.

These offices handle the administrative side of support. They open cases, locate parents, establish paternity, request court orders, collect payments, and enforce orders that go unpaid. They are not your private lawyer. The agency works to collect support for the child, so ask a licensed attorney if you need personal legal advice about custody or divorce.

The Alabama DHR Framework and the Federal Rules Behind It

Every state runs a child support program under Title IV-D of the federal Social Security Act, and Alabama's program sits inside DHR. That federal link explains why services look similar from county to county. Parents can apply for help whether or not they receive public benefits, and the same enforcement tools are available statewide.

The amount of support is calculated under Rule 32 of the Alabama Rules of Judicial Administration. Rule 32 contains the child support guidelines that courts use to work out a presumed amount. It looks at both parents' incomes and adds certain child-related costs, such as health insurance and work-related child care. A judge can depart from the guideline figure, but must explain the reason in writing.

Once an order exists, DHR has several enforcement tools. Income withholding sends payments straight from a paycheck to the state. Other tools include intercepting tax refunds, reporting unpaid balances, restricting certain licenses, and asking a court to hold a parent in contempt. Federal measures, such as passport denial, can apply when arrears are large.

Most parents never pay at an office counter. Payments typically move through the state's centralized payment system and are then released to the receiving parent. That keeps a clean record of every dollar. If your records and the state's records disagree, the local office can look into it.

Metro Alabama and Rural Counties: Two Different Experiences

Where you live changes how you use these offices. Alabama has a few urban counties and many small, rural ones, and the listings reflect that split.

Birmingham, Bessemer and Jefferson County

Jefferson County has three listings in our database. They include the Birmingham Child Support & Enforcement Office (PO Box 11926, Birmingham, 205-423-4900) and the Bessemer Child Support & Enforcement Office at 2001 12th Avenue North, Birmingham, which lists the same 205-423-4900 number. Because the two entries share a phone line, call first to confirm which location handles your case and whether you need an appointment.

Shelby, Chilton and Talladega: Central Alabama's Busiest Corridor

Shelby County has the most listings of any county in the state, with four. The Columbiana Child Support & Enforcement Office at 987 Highway 70, Columbiana, can be reached at 205-669-3000. In Chilton County, the Clanton Child Support & Enforcement Office is at 500 Airport Road, Clanton, phone 205-280-2000. Further east, the Talladega Child Support & Enforcement Office is at 1010 Ashland Highway, Talladega, phone 256-761-6674.

Mobile and the Gulf Coast

In Mobile County, the Mobile Child Support & Enforcement Office is at 3103 Airport Boulevard, phone 251-450-9100. Baldwin County is listed under the Robertsdale Child Support & Enforcement Office, PO Box 2529, Robertsdale, phone 251-947-8340. A post office box is a mailing address, so ask where in-person visits take place.

Small-Town Offices in Rural Alabama

In rural counties, one office may serve a wide area with limited staff. Examples include the Abbeville Child Support & Enforcement Office at 507 Kirkland Street (Henry County), the Andalusia Child Support & Enforcement Office at 1515 Martin Luther King Junior Expressway (Covington County), and the Centreville Child Support & Enforcement Office at 84 Library Street (Bibb County). A few listings, such as Union Springs and Centre, have no phone number in our records. Check with DHR or the county before making a long drive.

What to Bring to an Alabama Child Support Office

A prepared visit moves faster. Staff need identifying details to open a case or find an existing one. Gather these items before you go:

If you do not know where the other parent lives or works, say so. Locating parents is one of the main jobs of the program, and even small clues, such as a former employer or a relative's town, can help.

Alabama Rules That Affect Your Case

In Alabama, a child reaches the age of majority at 19, and support generally runs until then unless the order says otherwise. Check your own order for end dates. Unpaid balances do not vanish when a child turns 19.

Orders can be changed only through the court. Informal agreements between parents are not enforceable by the state. If your income drops, ask for a review promptly, because changes generally apply from the filing date forward rather than backward.

For unmarried parents, legal paternity must be established before an order can be entered. Parents can sign a voluntary acknowledgment, often at the hospital after the birth, or ask the court to order genetic testing. Once paternity is established, the office can pursue a support order and, if needed, medical coverage for the child.

The child support program in Alabama is administered by the state's child support enforcement agency, which operates through a network of county-level offices that handle case intake, order establishment, payment processing, and enforcement across the state under the authority of Title IV-D of the Social Security Act.

Child Support Offices locations are available in 68 cities across Alabama. They are spread across 66 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include Columbiana, Talladega, Clanton, which serve as regional hubs for child support case processing and interstate enforcement coordination for cases involving parents in multiple states.

Non-custodial parents in Alabama who are current on their support obligation and experiencing a significant change in income — such as job loss or medical disability — may be eligible to request a formal modification review through the state child support agency without having to hire an attorney.

Child Support Offices by Counties

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Custodial parents in Alabama who receive public assistance are automatically enrolled in child support services as a condition of TANF or Medicaid eligibility. Parents not receiving public assistance can still apply for child support services voluntarily and typically receive the same level of enforcement assistance at little or no cost.

Browse Child Support Offices by county across Alabama to find the nearest location.

Choosing the Right Alabama Office for Your Case

Start with the county where the child lives or where your court order was entered. Staff in that county can look up your case, and a quick call often settles whether you need to visit in person. Phone numbers in our listings come from public records, so confirm hours and location before you go.

In east Alabama, Talladega County has three listings, and the Heflin Child Support & Enforcement Office at 732 Oxford Street, Heflin (Cleburne County), can be reached at 256-463-1719. In Tallapoosa County, the Dadeville Child Support & Enforcement Office is at 352 North Tallassee Street, phone 256-825-2755. In the southeast, the Clayton Child Support & Enforcement Office at 276 Highway 239 serves Barbour County; call 334-775-3434.

In north Alabama, the Cullman Child Support & Enforcement Office is at 1220 Saint Joseph Street Northwest, phone 256-737-5300. The Athens Child Support & Enforcement Office is at 1007 Market Street West in Limestone County, phone 256-216-6476. The Anniston Child Support & Enforcement Office at 415 West 11th Street covers Calhoun County at 256-240-2050.

Several west Alabama listings use post office boxes: Double Springs (PO Box 116, 205-489-1507), Fayette (PO Box 489, 205-932-1665) and Hamilton (PO Box 96, 205-921-7433). A box is for mail. Ask the office for its street address and walk-in hours before driving.

Bring copies, not originals, of your documents. Write down the name of anyone you speak with, along with your case number. If a local office cannot help, DHR's state office in Montgomery can direct you to the right place.

Alabama Child Support: Frequently Asked Questions

Contact the child support office in the county where the child lives, or where an existing order was issued. Call first, for example the Talladega office at 256-761-6674 or the Mobile office at 251-450-9100, and ask what to bring and whether you need an appointment. Parents can apply whether or not they receive public benefits. Bring identification, the child's birth certificate, any court orders, and everything you know about the other parent's location and employer. Ask whether any application fee or service charge applies to your situation, since rules can differ by case type. Staff will then open a case and begin the next steps.

Alabama courts use Rule 32 of the Alabama Rules of Judicial Administration. The rule starts from both parents' incomes, then adds items such as work-related child care and health insurance for the child. The result is a guideline amount that is presumed correct. A judge may set a different figure but must state the reason in writing. Because every family's numbers differ, no office can quote a fixed dollar amount over the phone. Collect pay stubs, tax returns, and records of child care and insurance costs before your hearing so the figures put before the judge are accurate and complete.

When a parent has a job, the usual method is income withholding. The employer deducts support from each paycheck and forwards it. Payments are generally routed through the state's central payment system rather than handed over at a county office, which creates a record of every payment. The receiving parent is then paid from that system. If you pay the other parent directly, the state may not count those payments, so keep proof and ask the office how they will be credited. Report job changes quickly so a new employer can receive the withholding order without a gap.

The program has several enforcement tools. It can send an income withholding order to the employer, intercept state and federal tax refunds, report the debt to credit bureaus, and place restrictions on certain licenses. In serious cases, the court can hold the parent in contempt, which can bring fines or jail time. Unpaid support is called arrears, and it does not disappear when a child grows up. If the other parent has stopped paying, give the office any new address, employer or bank information you learn, since locating income is often the hardest step.

In Alabama the age of majority is 19, and child support generally continues until the child reaches that age unless a court order says otherwise. An order can end sooner in situations such as legal emancipation. Check your order if the child has a disability that may call for continued support. In some divorce cases, a judge may order help with college costs separately, but that is a court matter rather than a routine office service. Arrears stay owed after the child turns 19, so read your order for the exact end language and ask the local office to confirm your case dates.

Yes, but only through the court. Either parent can ask for a change when circumstances have changed substantially, such as a job loss, a significant raise, or a new custody arrangement. Ask for a review as soon as your situation changes, because modifications generally apply only from the date the request is filed, not backward. Until a judge signs a new order, the old amount stays due, so keep paying what the order requires. Informal agreements between parents do not change the legal obligation, and the state will keep enforcing the existing order.