How Child Support Is Organized in New York

New York splits child support between a state agency and the county offices where most families get help. The Division of Child Support Services, part of the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA), supervises the program statewide. The daily work happens locally. County social services districts open cases, Support Collection Units track payments, and Family Court judges and support magistrates issue the orders.

Our database lists 67 child support locations across the state, from Albany and Syracuse to small county seats such as Delhi, Albion and Cooperstown. The listings are not all the same kind of office. Some are Support Collection Units, some are social services departments, and some are Family Court buildings. Knowing which one you need saves a wasted trip.

Who Handles What: State, County and Court

Think of the system in three layers. Each layer has a different job, and the address you need depends on the task.

Every listing in our database shows the same toll-free number, 888-208-4485. That is the statewide child support line, so a call to a county listing will usually reach state-level customer service first. Use it to ask about your case status. Then confirm with the county whether it offers walk-in service before you travel.

Metro, Suburban and Rural Differences Across the State

Where you live changes how you reach a child support office more than almost anything else.

In the Capital Region, the Saratoga County Child Support Enforcement Unit is at 152 West High Street in Ballston Spa, and the Albany unit is at 162 Washington Avenue. Parents who live in one county and work in the other should ask which office holds the case. The answer decides where to send documents.

Western New York has larger offices in its cities. The Erie County SCU is at 95 Franklin Street in Buffalo. The Niagara County Court House Family Court sits at 175 Hawley Street in Lockport. Central New York has the Cortland County unit at 60 Central Avenue and the Cayuga County unit at 160 Genesee Street in Auburn.

On Long Island, Suffolk County Family Court is at 400 Carleton Avenue in Central Islip. Visitors can reach it through the Suffolk County page of this directory. Larger counties tend to run busier court calendars, so plan for waits and confirm your hearing date in writing. The Hudson Valley has the Putnam County Support Collection Unit at 110 Old Route 6 in Carmel.

The Southern Tier, North Country and Catskills work differently. Delaware County's SCU is at 111 Main Street in Delhi. Allegany County's is at 7 Court Street in Belmont, and St. Lawrence County's is at 6 Judson Street in Canton. Essex County's unit lists only a PO Box, 217 in Elizabethtown, so treat it as a mailing address and call before you drive. In counties like these the county seat can be a long trip, so ask whether paperwork can be handled by mail or phone.

New York City is a separate case. The city's Human Resources Administration runs child support there, and each borough has its own Family Court. Our listings focus on county offices elsewhere in the state, so New York City residents should start with the statewide line.

How New York Calculates Child Support

Orders in New York follow the Child Support Standards Act, found in Family Court Act section 413 and Domestic Relations Law section 240. The formula starts with both parents' combined income and applies a set percentage based on the number of children:

The percentage applies to combined income up to a cap that the state adjusts periodically. Above the cap, the court can apply the percentage or weigh other factors. Each parent's share follows his or her share of the combined income, and the parent who does not have primary custody usually pays that share to the other. Child care costs, health insurance and unreimbursed medical expenses are usually handled on top of the basic amount.

Parents in New York generally owe support until a child turns 21, which is later than the age of 18 used in many states. Emancipation can end the duty earlier, for example when a child becomes self-supporting or marries.

Orders are not permanent. Either parent may ask Family Court to modify an order when three years have passed since it was made or last changed. A change of at least 15 percent in either parent's gross income also qualifies. A substantial change in circumstances, such as a job loss, can be grounds as well.

Preparing for Your First Contact With a County Office

Before you call or visit, gather what the caseworker will ask for:

The usual path goes like this. You apply through your county social services district or the state program, and the office works to locate the other parent. If parentage has not been established, a hearing and genetic testing may come first. After that the office asks Family Court for an order. Once an order exists, the Support Collection Unit records payments. If payments stop, it can act without requiring you to start over.

Enforcement tools include income withholding from paychecks, tax refund interception, suspension of driver's and other licenses, credit reporting, liens and bank account levies. Keep records of every payment, even informal ones. Do not agree to a side arrangement that bypasses the SCU, because payments made outside the system may not be credited to the order.

If your family receives cash assistance, the social services district typically requires cooperation with child support. Ask your caseworker how collected payments are handled in your situation, since the rules differ from cases that never involved public assistance.

The child support program in New York 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 60 cities across New York. They are spread across 58 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include Delhi, Syracuse, Elmira, 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 New York 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

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
J
L
M
N
O
P
R
S
T
U
W
Y

Custodial parents in New York 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 New York to find the nearest location.

Planning a Visit to a Child Support Office in New York

Hours, security screening and appointment rules differ by county, and court buildings add their own procedures. Family Court buildings such as those in Central Islip, Syracuse, Utica and Lockport are courthouses. Expect security checks, leave unnecessary items at home, and arrive early enough to find the right courtroom or clerk's window.

Bring photocopies of every document along with the originals, and write your case number on each page. Office listings such as the Chemung County SCU at 425 Pennsylvania Avenue in Elmira are county-run. You can find more about that area on our Chemung County page. Before any trip, call 888-208-4485 and ask three things: whether your case is handled at that address, whether you need an appointment, and whether the matter can be settled by mail or phone. Arrange childcare in advance if you can, since hearings often run longer than expected.

You can apply through your county's social services district or through the state child support program. The statewide line at 888-208-4485 can point you to the right office. You do not need a lawyer to apply. Expect to give your own information, the child's details and everything you know about the other parent, such as address, employer and Social Security number. If your family receives public assistance, a referral to child support is usually part of that process. Once the application is accepted, the county office works to locate the parent, establish parentage if needed, and ask Family Court for an order or enforce an existing one.

In most cases, yes. Family Court hears child support petitions in every county, and support magistrates, who are hearing officers, handle most of the hearings. Parents who are divorcing may instead have support set in Supreme Court as part of the divorce. Some cases settle by agreement before a hearing, and a magistrate can approve that agreement as an order. The attorney working for the county child support office represents the county's interests, not you personally, so ask what role the office plays at the hearing. Bring pay stubs, tax returns and proof of child care or health insurance costs, because the court uses them to apply the state formula.

New York applies the Child Support Standards Act to combined parental income up to a cap. The percentages are 17 percent for one child, 25 for two, 29 for three, 31 for four and at least 35 for five or more. Each parent's share follows his or her share of the combined income. Child care, health insurance and unreimbursed medical costs are typically divided as well. Support generally continues until the child turns 21 unless the child is emancipated earlier. The court can adjust the amount if the formula result would be unjust, so a magistrate's final figure may differ from an online estimate.

Payments under an order handled through a Support Collection Unit are processed centrally and recorded. That creates the official payment history the court and county rely on. Paying parents often have support withheld from wages by their employer. Receiving parents can typically choose direct deposit or a debit card, and the statewide line can help you set that up. Avoid paying the other parent directly in cash, since those payments may not be credited against what the order says you owe. If a payment is missing, call 888-208-4485 first. Then contact your county unit, such as the Orleans County Support Collection Unit at 14016 Route 31 in Albion, with your case number ready.

Yes, but you must ask the court, because informal agreements between parents do not change the order. Under state law you can petition Family Court for a modification if three years have passed since the order was made or last changed. You can also petition if either parent's gross income has changed by at least 15 percent. A substantial change in circumstances, such as a job loss, can also qualify. Changes generally take effect from the date you file, not earlier, so do not wait. Gather updated income proof, and tell the Support Collection Unit about any change of address or employer so notices reach you.

New York offices can use several enforcement tools: wage withholding, interception of state and federal tax refunds, suspension of driver's and other licenses, credit bureau reporting, liens and bank account levies. For long-term nonpayment, the court can also hold a hearing on whether the violation was willful. If the other parent lives in another state, New York works with that state's child support agency under the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act, so you can usually start the case here. Report any new address, employer or income information you learn to your caseworker, because locating the parent is often the hardest step.