Federal law requires each state to designate an organization to handle child support cases. State law requires that both parents provide financial help in raising their child. Failure to locate the noncustodial parent or to hold them responsible can cause unnecessary hardship on the family, or heavy reliance on social programs.
Ask DHS - Oklahoma Child Support Services (CSS)
Many Oklahomans are eligible, including:
- Children who become eligible for DHS services like TANF, Medicaid (SoonerCare), Child Care Assistance, or Aid to the Blind or Disabled because one or both parents are absent;
- Custodial persons and noncustodial parents of children not receiving public assistance who apply for services; and
- Alleged fathers
We provide a number of services, including:
- Location of noncustodial parents and their assets;
- Paternity establishment;
- Establishment and enforcement of child support and medical support orders; and
- Review and modification of support orders.
To receive an Application for Child Support Services in the mail, call 1-800-522-2922 and follow the instructions. You may also download a copy of the Application for Child Support Services on the forms page of www.okdhs.org.
Yes, In qualifying cases, CSS collects an annual $35 fee once $550.00 support has been collected and issued. This fee is required by and sent to the federal government. CSS also charges the custodial parent a 3% up to $10.00 monthly service fee on all collections distributed.
Yes. CSS will automatically initiate a child support case. Failure to cooperate with CSS can affect your TANF assistance.
Child support in Oklahoma is calculated per Oklahoma law using a formula including the gross income of both parents, medical costs, child care expenses, and other expenses. You can obtain a copy of the Child Support Guidelines Computation at your local court clerk or these websites:
If there is a qualifying change in circumstances or the order is more than one year old and has not been reviewed, you can submit a written request for modification to your child support caseworker. If you qualify, we will ask the court to modify the support order.
You may also file your own motion to modify with the court. You can obtain a copy of self-help motions on the CSS website.
We do not provide visitation services, but we can get you in contact with providers who can help you. CSS is contracted with non-for-profit organizations in Tulsa, Norman, and Shawnee to provide many of these services. These services are available to families with an open child support case and are free of charge. The supervised visitation services are available on-site in Claremore, Norman, and Shawnee. Parents interested in supervised visitation must participate in person at these locations. Counseling, parenting classes, and mediation services are available by telephone, online, and in person.
Find information about contractors who provide parent education, mediation, counseling and related services for parents to obtain access to their children
If the order was issued in Oklahoma, child support is owed until age 18 unless the child is still attending high school then support is owed until the age of 20, or the date of high school graduation, whichever comes first. For orders issued in other states, the law of that state governs the termination of child support. Any unpaid child support, or arrearage, is still owed regardless of the child’s age.
The most important piece of information CSS needs is the noncustodial parent’s social security number. Other helpful information includes the noncustodial parent’s date of birth, address, employer and bank account.
