Maine runs child support as one statewide program, not as a patchwork of county systems. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) operates it through the Division of Support Enforcement and Recovery, usually shortened to DSER. Our directory lists 16 local Child Support & Social Service Offices, from Biddeford in the south to Fort Kent on the Canadian border. This page explains what those offices do, how service differs across the state, and how to prepare before you go.

How Child Support Is Set and Enforced in Maine

Child support in Maine is governed mainly by Title 19-A of the Maine Revised Statutes, the state's domestic relations law. Maine uses an income shares model. The court or DSER combines both parents' incomes, estimates what it costs to raise the children, and divides that amount between the parents in proportion to what each earns. Health insurance costs, work-related child care and the parenting schedule can all change the final figure.

Support generally runs until a child turns 18. It can continue until 19 if the child is still attending secondary school. Your own order may contain different terms, so read its wording closely, because the order controls.

Orders come from the Maine District Court in divorce, separation and parentage cases. DSER can also seek an order for you, and in some cases it uses an administrative process instead of a courtroom hearing. DSER staff and attorneys act for the State of Maine's interest in the case, not for either parent personally. If you want private legal advice, you can still hire a family law attorney.

What Maine's Child Support Offices Actually Do

Each Child Support & Social Service Office is a local DHHS site where you can start a case, drop off paperwork or ask questions in person. Much of the routine case work is handled by phone, mail and online systems, so the exact services at a given site can vary. Confirm by phone before you make the trip.

Across the state, the program handles the same core tasks:

Income withholding is the main enforcement method. The paying parent's employer deducts support from each paycheck and forwards it to the state. If that fails, DSER can use other tools, including state and federal tax refund intercepts, liens, credit reporting and license suspension. For large unpaid balances, federal rules allow passport denial.

Anyone can apply for services, whether or not they receive public benefits. Families receiving cash assistance such as TANF are generally required to cooperate with child support and to assign their support rights to the state. Fees can apply in some cases, so ask the office what applies to yours before you sign anything.

Child Support Offices in Maine: Rural North, Downeast and the Southern Coast

Geography shapes how people reach these offices. Northern and eastern Maine are large, sparsely populated and cold for much of the year. The southern coast is compact and busy.

Aroostook County covers a huge stretch of northern Maine, and DHHS keeps three offices there: Caribou at 30 Skyway Drive, Fort Kent at 137 Market Street and Houlton at 11 High Street. The Fort Kent office matters because St. John Valley residents would otherwise face a long drive south. Houlton sits close to the New Brunswick border, so some cases there involve a parent who lives in Canada.

Downeast, Washington County has offices at 392 South Street in Calais and 13 Prescott Drive in Machias. Calais faces St. Stephen, New Brunswick, across the St. Croix River. Further west, the Hancock County office is at 17 Eastward Lane in Ellsworth, which serves year-round residents rather than the summer crowds heading to Acadia.

In the south, York County has two offices: 208 Graham Street in Biddeford and 890 Main Street in Sanford. Portland's office is at 161 Marginal Way in Cumberland County, and Lewiston's is at 200 Main Street in Androscoggin County. These urban sites tend to serve more people within a short radius, and public transit or a short drive can be enough to reach them.

Central Maine is a mix of both. The Augusta office at 35 Anthony Avenue serves Kennebec County and sits close to the state capital. The Bangor office at 396 Griffin Road in Penobscot County is a hub for the wider region. Smaller county seats have their own offices: Skowhegan (98 North Avenue, Somerset County), Farmington (114 Corn Shop Lane, Franklin County), South Paris (243 Main Street, Oxford County) and Rockland (91 Camden Street, Knox County).

Preparing for Your Visit to a Maine Child Support Office

A little preparation saves a second trip. Staff can move faster when they have accurate information about the other parent, because locating someone is often the slowest step in a case. Gather what you can from the list below.

Call ahead. The Augusta office lists 207-624-8080 and the Lewiston office lists 207-795-4423. For other sites, check the DHHS website or ask when you reach the state program. Winter storms regularly close roads in Aroostook, Washington and Franklin counties, so a quick call can save a long, wasted drive.

If you have safety concerns about the other parent, such as a history of domestic violence, say so at the start. Child support programs have procedures to keep a protected parent's address from being shared. Staff can also explain how to attend hearings in a way that keeps you safe.

Keep copies of everything you hand over and write down the name of each person you speak with. Child support cases can run for years, and a clear record helps if a question comes up later. Because a case may move between staff members, a short written timeline of events is also useful.

The child support program in Maine 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 16 cities across Maine. They are spread across 12 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include Paris, Skowhegan, Augusta, 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 Maine 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 Maine 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 Maine to find the nearest location.

Choosing the Right Maine Office for Your Case

Most people use the office closest to where they live or where the child lives. That is usually the simplest approach, but Maine's program is statewide, so your case record is not tied permanently to one building. If you work in Portland but live near Machias, call the program and ask where your case is handled and who your contact is.

Border communities have extra considerations. Calais, Houlton and Fort Kent all sit near New Brunswick and Quebec, and a parent across the line may require special handling. In the Lewiston area, the Androscoggin office serves a large working population, so expect busier hours. In Oxford, Franklin and Somerset counties, the offices in South Paris, Farmington and Skowhegan cover wide rural areas where phone contact is often more practical than a long drive. Whichever office you choose, bring your case number if you have one, since it speeds up every conversation.

Maine Child Support Questions Answered

You apply through the Division of Support Enforcement and Recovery at the Maine Department of Health and Human Services. You can contact the program by phone, request an application by mail or visit a local Child Support & Social Service Office. You will need basic information about yourself, your children and the other parent, including any known address or employer. Anyone can apply, and you do not need to receive public benefits. Ask staff about any fees that apply to your case before you finish the application, and keep a copy of everything you submit.

Distance does not stop a case. For a parent in another US state, Maine works with that state's child support agency under uniform interstate laws, and an order from one state can generally be enforced in another. If the parent lives in Canada, the case follows separate international procedures that can take longer. This comes up often near Calais, Houlton and Fort Kent, which sit close to the border. Tell the office early where the other parent lives, because staff can then explain which process applies and what documents they may need from you.

Maine uses an income shares approach set out in Title 19-A of the Maine Revised Statutes. Both parents' incomes are combined, a basic support amount is determined from that total, and each parent is assigned a share in proportion to income. Health insurance premiums and work-related child care costs are then factored in, and the parenting schedule can adjust the result. A court can depart from the guideline amount if it finds the result unfair and explains why. Ask the office for the current worksheet so you can estimate your own figures before a hearing.

Yes, but you must go through the proper process. An informal agreement between parents does not change the legal order, and unpaid support can keep building up in the meantime. If your circumstances have changed substantially, such as a job loss, a serious illness or a change in custody, ask the child support office whether your case qualifies for review. A change generally requires a court or agency decision. Act quickly, because changes usually apply only from the date a request is properly filed, not backward to when your situation changed.

The first step is usually income withholding, where an employer deducts support from each paycheck. If the parent changes jobs or is self-employed, DSER can use other tools. These include intercepting state and federal tax refunds, placing liens on property, reporting arrears to credit agencies and, in some cases, suspending licenses. For large unpaid balances, federal rules also allow passport denial. A case can also go to the Maine District Court, where a judge can hold a parent in contempt. Report any new job, address or bank information you learn about, since it helps staff act faster.

Not always. Many questions can be handled by phone, mail or the state's online tools, which helps if you live far from an office, as many people in Aroostook, Washington and Franklin counties do. In-person visits make sense when you need to drop off original documents or sit down with staff about a complicated case. Call first so you know what to bring. The Augusta office lists 207-624-8080 and the Lewiston office lists 207-795-4423. Court hearings are separate from office visits, and you must attend those as directed in your notice.