DCSS Caseworkers Help Incarcerated Parents Navigate Their Child Support Payments

The Department of Economic Security (DES) Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) does have options for incarcerated parents when they have a child support obligation, but communication is crucial.

To avoid child support accruing without consideration for your ability to pay when in prison, it’s best to contact them and let them know how long you expect the sentence to last. After starting the conversation with a DCSS caseworker, payments may be stopped during incarceration, but previous payments will not be erased.

However, there are programs, such as the GED program and the hardship assistance program, that may be able to help with previous payments. You may request that the court stop interest payments during your sentence.

Your caseworker can and will work with you if your order is from another state. Let them know so they can work with the other state and see if your case can be modified there. It’s also important to let your case worker know if you have more than one child and your children are being cared for in separate homes, since that means there may be more than one child support case to modify.

DCSS can also help you formulate a plan for child support and beyond once you get out. They can refer you to reentry programs that can help you get a job when you get out or help you cope with substance or domestic abuse. You will want to contact them once you are released so you don’t fall behind on child support payments afterward.

To find out more about child support services, call 602-252-4045 or 1-800-882-4151 (toll-free in Arizona), Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Case-related documents can be emailed to [email protected] or mailed to P.O. Box 40458, Phoenix, AZ 85067. The Arizona Child Support Online Portal is available at https://mychildsupport.azdes.gov/, and the DES Document Center for forms and flyers is available at https://des.az.gov/documents-center.

Learn more about DES child support services at the Division of Child Support Services website.