Under the Federal Welfare Reform Act, obtaining Child Support from the non-custodial parent for TANF/WFNJ children is a primary responsibility, both for the applicant parent and for the agency. Full cooperation in this effort is required before cash or Medicaid assistance can be granted.
The Child Support and Paternity Unit, a IV-D agency, is committed to maximize child support collections. This enables single-parent households to become less dependent upon public assistance and ultimately reduces public assistance expenditures.
OUR FUNCTIONS:
- Interviewing all single parent public assistance applicants to assess their individual needs and obtain information pertaining to child support.
- Locating non-custodial parents for all children, regardless of their public assistance status.
- Initiating paternity or support complaints (both in and out-of-state) for public assistance recipients so that paternity and/or support may be established.
- Review cases for possible adjustment- Every three years all parents, both custodial and non-custodial will be automatically notified of their right to request a review of the child support order.
- Communicating and cooperating with probation departments and the courts throughout New Jersey, as well as other States’ IV-D agencies.
New Jersey Child Support Program customers can access case information, court information, and make payments securely through an automated PIN process by way of a website and telephone system. The Interactive Voice Response System and website will also assist customers accessing additional family support services. New Jersey Child support customers are able to access the automated telephone system 24 hours a day, 7 days a week or they can contact a Child Support Representative by calling 1-877-NJKIDS1 (1-877-655-4371) from the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Monday thru Friday. Customers may also access enhanced customer services through www.njchildsupport.org.
PLEASE BE WARNED! Fraudulent phone calls requesting personal identification information are being made to NJ residents using the name of the NJ Office of Child Support (OCS). OCS staff does NOT make unsolicited calls to child support customers or the public, nor does it ask for social security numbers or banking information.
If you believe you have received such a call or you receive a call from the public reporting they have received a call, please report it to: The New Jersey Attorney General’s office at http://www.nj.gov/oag/dcj/tips.htm and /or the Federal Communications Commission at www.fcc.gov/complaints or (888) 225-5322.