Child Support Offices in South Carolina and the Agency Behind Them

Child support in South Carolina runs through one state agency rather than through separate county programs. The South Carolina Department of Social Services (SCDSS) operates the state's Child Support Services program, which is the state's Title IV-D agency under federal law. Its staff locate parents, establish paternity, request support orders, collect payments, and enforce orders that go unpaid. Services are open to any parent or caregiver, whether or not you receive public benefits.

The orders themselves come from the Family Court, which is part of the state's circuit court system and sits in every county. SCDSS caseworkers and attorneys bring cases to the Family Court on behalf of the program, while the clerk of court in each county keeps the court records. Knowing this split saves time. SCDSS handles the case work and payment records. The judge decides the amount and rules on contempt.

State law on the subject appears mainly in Title 63 of the South Carolina Code of Laws, the Children's Code, along with the state's child support guidelines. South Carolina uses an income shares approach. That means the guideline amount reflects the income of both parents, not just the paying parent's paycheck.

Because the program is federally funded, many enforcement tools match those in other states. What changes from place to place is the local paperwork, the court calendar, and which office receives your mail. That is where a local directory helps.

What the Four Listed Child Support Offices Cover

Our directory lists four Child Support & Social Service offices in South Carolina: one each in Columbia, Florence, Greenville and North Charleston. They sit in four large population centers, and each anchors a different part of the state.

The Columbia Child Support & Social Service Office serves Richland County. Its listed address is PO Box 1270, Columbia, and the phone number is 803-898-9282. Richland County holds the state capital and a busy Midlands Family Court docket. You can find more local detail on our Richland County page.

In the Pee Dee region, the Florence Child Support & Social Service Office is listed at PO Box 1071, Florence, with the phone number 843-661-4750. It is tied to Florence County. Florence is a regional hub for the eastern part of the state. That is useful context if you live in a smaller nearby county and are unsure where to call first.

In the Upstate, the Greenville Child Support & Social Service Office is listed at PO Box 17799, Greenville, and answers at 864-282-4650. It belongs to Greenville County, the most populous county in South Carolina.

On the coast, the North Charleston listing (PO Box 150012, phone 843-953-9700) falls within Charleston County. In our database its name reads "North Carolina Child Support & Social Service Office." That looks like a naming slip in the source record, since the address is in North Charleston, South Carolina. Confirm the phone number when you call.

Every listed address is a post office box. These work as mailing addresses, not necessarily as places to walk in. Call first to confirm where to send documents and whether an in-person visit is possible.

Metro and Rural Differences Across South Carolina

South Carolina has 46 counties, and the experience of using child support services depends heavily on where you live. The state's four big regions work differently in practice.

In the Midlands, Columbia and Richland County put you close to state offices and a large Family Court. Phone lines are busy, but travel is short. In the Upstate, Greenville County has a large caseload and a growing population. Expect to schedule rather than drop in, and expect waits for hearing dates.

In the Lowcountry, Charleston County and North Charleston draw families from a wide area, including people who commute across county lines for work. In the Pee Dee, Florence is the main regional center. Residents of smaller, more rural counties may travel to a county seat for hearings, and some depend on phone contact for everything else.

Rural families face a few predictable problems:

None of this changes your rights. It does change how early you should start. If you live far from a county seat, ask the office whether you can handle forms by mail and whether the hearing notice can be sent to a reliable address.

What to Bring Before You Call or Visit

Most delays come from missing information, not from the law. Gather what you can before you contact the office. You do not need every item to start, but each one speeds up the case.

If you receive Medicaid or cash assistance for your child, tell the caseworker. Those programs can bring a child support referral, and the rules on who receives collected money differ from cases with no public benefits.

How Orders Are Set and Enforced in South Carolina

If the parents were never married, paternity usually has to be established first. This can happen through a voluntary acknowledgment, or through genetic testing arranged by the program and a Family Court order. Once paternity is clear, SCDSS can ask the court to set support using the state guidelines.

Most payments are taken directly from the paying parent's paycheck through income withholding. When that does not work, the program has other tools. These include intercepting state and federal tax refunds, placing liens, reporting arrears to credit bureaus, and in some cases suspending driver's, professional or recreational licenses. Serious or repeated nonpayment can lead to a contempt hearing before a Family Court judge.

When to Contact the Office and When to Call the Court

Call SCDSS about case status, payment records, locating a parent, or enforcement. Contact the clerk of court in your county for hearing dates, filed documents and copies of orders. If your question is about custody or visitation, that is a separate court matter, and the child support office cannot decide it for you.

The child support program in South Carolina 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 4 cities across South Carolina. They are spread across 4 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration include North Charleston, Greenville, Florence, 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 South Carolina 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 South Carolina 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 South Carolina to find the nearest location.

Practical Tips for Midlands, Pee Dee, Upstate and Lowcountry Families

Whichever region you live in, the same habits protect your case. Keep your case number on every page you send. Write down the date and name of each person you speak with at the Columbia, Florence, Greenville or North Charleston offices, and keep copies of everything you mail.

Update your address and phone number with SCDSS whenever they change. A missed hearing notice is one of the most common reasons a case stalls. If your own employer, income or custody arrangement changes, report it promptly, because delays can cause overpayment or arrears that are hard to untangle later.

If you need legal advice rather than case management, remember that SCDSS attorneys represent the state's program, not you personally. Low-income residents can ask about free civil legal aid, such as South Carolina Legal Services, and others can use the South Carolina Bar's lawyer referral service. Even a single consultation can help before a modification or contempt hearing.

You apply through the South Carolina Department of Social Services, Child Support Services. Contact the office that serves your county, such as the Columbia, Florence, Greenville or North Charleston office, and ask how to submit an application. Bring identifying details for yourself, your child and the other parent. A caseworker will review what you have, try to locate the other parent if needed, and then take the case to Family Court to establish paternity or an order. Starting with complete information makes the process noticeably faster.

A PO Box is a mailing address, so it does not tell you where staff sit or whether walk-ins are accepted. All four listings in our directory use post office boxes. Call the listed number first, for example 803-898-9282 for Columbia or 864-282-4650 for Greenville, and ask where to bring or send documents. Many questions about case status or payments can be answered by phone. If an appointment is possible, ask what to bring so you do not need a second trip.

South Carolina follows state child support guidelines built on an income shares model. The calculation starts with both parents' incomes and then accounts for costs such as health insurance and work-related childcare. The result is a guideline amount, which the Family Court judge normally applies. A judge may depart from it when the facts justify it, but must explain why. Because the formula uses both incomes, accurate pay records from each parent matter. Ask your caseworker which documents the court expects to see.

Child Support Services can start with income withholding sent to the employer. If that fails, the program can intercept tax refunds, place liens, report arrears to credit bureaus, and in some cases pursue suspension of licenses. For continued nonpayment, the case can go to a Family Court judge for a contempt hearing, where penalties can include jail time. Report any new employer or address information you learn about the other parent, because it helps the program choose the right tool quickly.

Yes, but only the Family Court can change an order, and you must ask for the change. A job loss, major income change or new medical needs for the child can justify a review. Contact Child Support Services or the clerk of court to learn how to request one. Keep paying what the order requires until a judge approves a new amount. Unpaid balances usually stay on the books, and the court generally cannot erase them retroactively. Bring proof of your current income to the hearing.

Fees depend on your situation and can change, so confirm current amounts with the office. Families receiving certain public benefits are handled differently from families who do not. Federal rules allow states to charge a modest annual fee in some cases where a family has never received assistance and collections pass a set threshold. Other costs, such as genetic testing, may also come up. Ask your caseworker, before the case begins, what you might owe and how any charges would be deducted or billed.