1600.2.15 Child Support Income

Count child support (court-ordered or voluntary), excluding any fees withheld, as unearned income to the child for whom the payment is intended. Voluntary support payments are payments that are not legally ordered. They include payments made over and above the court-ordered amount.

For initial applications, count the child support received in the prior 30 days in the month of application and the following month. After that, count the child support received two months prior to.

Count, as unearned income, child support that is released to the 3SVT household for a Reach Up participant if: the amount is paid because it was over the Reach Up assistance grant; or the amount is paid on a regular schedule for months that Reach Up was not received. See also Lump Sum (Nonrecurring) .

Count, as unearned income, child support that is released to the 3SVT household for a Reach Ahead participant. See Adding Child Support Income for 3SVT and Reach Ahead Cases .

Exclude voluntary support payments that are paid to a third party for a household expense. These are vendor payments and are not legally obligated to the household.

Exclude arrearage payments as a lump sum (nonrecurring) unless they are received on a regular basis.

Exclude child support payments that are transferred to the OCS to maintain Reach Up eligibility. Child support income is excluded as of the date it is assigned.