San Francisco Child Support Services The Department and the CARES Act
CARES Stimulus Intercept Distribution The Coronavirus, Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES) provides economic stimulus payments to American families who meet certain financial thresholds. The CARES stimulus payments are subject to interception for past-due child support. The CARES legislation specifically left in place the same language that applies to IRS offset payments that child support programs are required to intercept and apply to government owed and family owed past due child support payments. 5 Quick Q&A Question Answer Does the Local Child Support Agency (LCSA) There is no authority under federal law to release for hardship, the same as other tax 1 have any option to refund the intercepted No refund intercepts. stimulus funds if there is hardship? Like any other tax refund, the intercept applies to the entire payment. There is no Does the stimulus intercept include the 2 Yes authority to release any portion of the funds due to hardship, including that portion portion attributable to an eligible child? attributable to children. The only hardship opportunity is for the injured spouse. Will the joint tax hold of six months apply to The stimulus payment is received just like any other tax refund, and CSE automatically 3 Yes stimulus refunds? places joint tax intercepts on a six month hold. How do tax refund intercepts apply to 4 Tax refund intercepts now apply to monthly current support owed, then arrears. support owed? Families currently receiving government assistance (CAA) will received the customary disregard. However, federal law requires all payments for currently aided families to apply Will currently aided families received a 5 to assigned accounts (PAA) first, meaning they will only receive an additional portion of portion of the tax refund? the stimulus funds if the amount owed to the government would be paid in full from the stimulus and they have arrears due to them.
CARES Act Stimulus Funds - Child Support Executive Order Guidance to Local Child Support Agencies (LCSAs) Interception of State and Federal tax refunds is one of the ways that the child support program’s automated statewide system collects on past-due support payments. CARES Act Stimulus Funds are a new, refundable tax credit for the year 2020, making them subject to automatic intercept by the child support program. Current California Law: Tax refund intercepts can only be applied to past-due balances and cannot be applied to the monthly ongoing support obligation (current support). For families who previously received public assistance benefits, the tax refund intercept must be applied to past-due balances owed to the State. Executive Order: Tax refund intercepts will be applied to current support and past-due balances that are owed to the family as priority over past-due balances that are owed to the State. Emergency changes that are needed to implement the Executive Order into the child support program’s automated statewide system are in progress and planned for release on April 26, 2020. The Executive Order remains in place until the Governor terminates the State of Emergency related to COVID-19. The California Department of Child Support Services plans to pursue a permanent statutory change to amend State law prioritizing payments to families.
How to Contact Us Customers can contact us Online https://sfgov.org/dcss/ Customer Connect https://www.cse.ca.gov/CustomerConnect/login By Phone T el: 1-866-901-3212 TTY: (415) 356-2791 Interpretation Services are available Our office is temporarily closed to the public. Please call us Monday through Friday 9am-3pm or email us at sfdcss@sfgov.org.
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