Please visit the section “Necessary Party Process & Working with OAH” on the Attorneys & Judges page. This section has information and questions to help you determine whether DHS is a necessary party to your action. This section also has the language that must be included in a child support order when DHS is a necessary party.
These FAQs are written with legal practitioners in mind. Parents with questions should also look at the FAQ section on the Parents' resource page
There are resources on the Information for Parents page to help customers apply for child support services. You can also find the Application for Child Support Services in the Forms Index.
There are resources on the Information for Parents page with Excel and online guideline calculators, forms, and instructions. This page also lists legal authority related to the guidelines.
We list child support forms in the Forms Index.
Frequently attorneys want to access:
• Application for Child Support Services
• Standard Child Support Order
• Necessary Party Disclaimers [We are currently preparing these forms to be added online. In the meantime, you may contact OCSS.Legal.Outreach@okdhs.org for forms or more information.]
• Designation of Custodial Person’s Address of Record
• Summary of Support Order (SOSO)
Other child support publications can be found in the Publications Library. Here you can find general information on CSS services as well as specific information and tips for various child support customers, like grandparents, service members, and employers.
Please refer to the section, “Legal Authorities & Related Links” on the Attorneys & Judges page. Here you will find Oklahoma’s child support laws as well as links to federal and state law and policy. Under the “State Law” section of this tab you can find the “Oklahoma Child Support Laws Index,” which is a helpful list of concerns and laws that arise in child support.
Please visit the section “Uniform Parentage Act” on the Attorneys & Judges page. This section provides links to UPA legal authority as well as cheat sheets and flow charts to help distinguish types of paternity.
Click here for information on the Office of Administrative Hearings: Child Support.
An income assignment is notice to a payor (usually the NCP’s employer) to withhold child support and send the money to the Oklahoma Centralized Support Registry.
12 O.S. § 1171.3 stipulates that:
A. In all child support cases arising out of an action for divorce, paternity or other proceedings, the court shall order the payment of child support as provided under Section 115 of Title 43 of the Oklahoma Statutes.
B. 1. A notice of income assignment shall be sent by the applicant to the payor on a standardized form prescribed by the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and available through the Administrative Office of the Courts. The notice shall be sent by certified mail, return receipt requested or served according to law. The payor shall be required to comply with the provisions of this subsection and the provisions stated in the notice. [emphasis added]
43 O.S. § 115 states:
A. Every order providing for the support of a minor child or a modification of such order, whether issued by a district court or an administrative court, shall contain an immediate income assignment provision if child support services are being provided under the state child support plan as provided under Section 237 of Title 56 of the Oklahoma Statutes, regardless of whether support payments by such parent are in arrears.
B. In all child support cases arising out of an action for divorce, paternity or other proceeding in which services are not being provided under the state child support plan, the district court shall order the wage of the obligor subject to immediate income assignment, regardless of whether support payments by such parent are in arrears, unless:
1. One of the parties demonstrates and the district court finds there is good cause not to require immediate income withholding; or
2. A written agreement is reached between the parties which provides for an alternative arrangement.
C. The obligated party may execute a voluntary income assignment at any time. The voluntary assignment shall be filed with the district or administrative court and shall take effect after service on the payor, as required by Section 1171.3 of Title 12 of the Oklahoma Statutes. [emphasis added]
56 O.S. § 240.2 states that “[a]fter receiving a referral or application for services, the Division may initiate enforcement proceedings.” These enforcement proceedings include an income assignment.
In short, CSS sends an income assignment when it is providing services in the case. If CSS is not providing services, and is not a necessary party to the proceedings, then the attorney is responsible for submitting the income assignment.
Cases with CSS are either opened automatically or through application. A case with CSS will automatically open when a custodial parent is receiving benefits from Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid/SoonerCare, and/or child care subsidy assistance. Under any of these conditions, a child support application is made in order to recoup State costs for services. These cases are considered full-service cases and may also be called IV-D cases. These services are described and codified in Part D of Subchapter IV of Chapter 7 (the Social Security Act) of Title 42 of the United States Code. These services are also codified in the Oklahoma Administrative Code at OAC 340:25-1-1.2.
A pass through child support case means the case is not open for full services, but that payments are being made through the Support Distribution Unit (SDU). A pass through case is built when there is no previous child support case and the Centralized Case Registry receives a Summary of Support Order form. If a full service case closes but payments are still being made through the SDU, the case is converted to pass through status. One major benefit of child support services in a pass through case is the recording of payments through the Centralized Case Registry.
An IV-D case, or full-service case, will open automatically when a family has received benefits from Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), Medicaid/SoonerCare, or child care subsidy assistance. An IV-D case will also open if any of the parties completes an application for services. More information on how to apply for child support services can be found on the Parents' Resource Page.
Families receiving non-TANF Medicaid benefits are automatically referred to CSS for child support services and do not need to complete or send an Application For Child Support Services.
Child Support Services is required to establish and enforce medical support orders for all open cases. If health insurance is not available through the parents or a third party (such as Indian Health Care Services or military/TriCare coverage), Oklahoma law requires that the court enter a cash medical order. When a child has received SoonerCare, the State will retain the cash medical support portion of the child support order to pay back funds expended through SoonerCare.
Please visit the sections “Medical Support” and “Affordable Care Act (ACA) Resources” on the Attorneys & Judges page for information.
There are multiple ways a noncustodial parent can pay his or her child support. Please see the “How to: Make a Payment” page to access mailing addresses, kiosk locations, online payment options, and more. Information on how employers can pay child support is also found on this page.
A child support customer may access his/her case online by visiting “Your Case Information” on the Information for Parents page.
If you represent a child support customer and require a Record of Payments, you can contact Child Support Services’ customer service line at (800) 522-2922, identify yourself as an attorney, and ask to be connected to the local office where your client’s case is assigned. Staff in the local office can work with you to provide a Record of Payments.
There are a few ways to get a copy of the Acknowledgement of Paternity form. If the child was born in Oklahoma, a copy is on file, along with the birth certificate, at the Oklahoma State Department of Health, Division of Vital Records (DVR). Parents who signed the form may call the DVR at (405) 271-4040 or email ASKVR@health.ok.gov.
You may also mail, fax, or email a request to the CSS Paternity Acknowledgment Section:
CSS Paternity Acknowledgment Section
P.O. Box 248843
Oklahoma City, OK 73124
Fax: (405) 325-7141, Attention: CSS Paternity Acknowledgment Section
Email: OCSS.AOP.Requests@okdhs.org
• the name and SSN of either the mother or father;
• the child's name, date of birth, and place of birth;
• the approximate date the acknowledgment form was signed; and
• the address where the copy is to be sent.
Please note on the request if you need a certified copy for evidentiary purposes.
The request must be signed by:
• the mother or father as shown on the acknowledgment form,
• their attorney, or
• an employee of a IV-D Child Support Office.
For more information on paternity and the acknowledgment of paternity form, please visit the information for hospitals page.
OAC 340:75-15-93 defines the Centralized Paternity Registry:
The Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) is required by Section 7506-1.1 of Title 10 of the Oklahoma Statutes to maintain a Centralized Paternity Registry (CPR) to protect the parental rights of an alleged or presumed father who may wish to affirmatively assume responsibility for a child(ren) he may have fathered. It is also maintained to expedite adoptions of children whose biological fathers are unwilling to assume responsibility for their children by registering with the CPR or otherwise acknowledging their children.
Men wishing to register with the Centralized Paternity Registry must use form 04AN016E.
To access information about the Centralized Paternity Registry for a particular child, or for any other questions about the Centralized Paternity Registry, contact Oklahoma DHS SWIFT Adoptions Unit at:
Oklahoma Department of Human Services
Post Adoption Section
PO Box 26768
Oklahoma City, OK 73126-0768
Please email requests to: CWS.PostAdoption.PaternityRegistry@okdhs.org
Requests for release of a party’s Address of Record should be made using Form 03EN009E, Request for Address of Record. The request may be mailed or faxed to the Central Case Registry at:
CSS, Central Case Registry
Attn: Address Disclosures
P.O. Box 248843
Oklahoma City, OK 73124-8843
Fax: (405) 522-8901
When CSS does not have an open case, a custodial parent or attorney may apply for assistance in locating a noncustodial parent’s residence and/or employment by filling out Form 03EN001E, Application for Child Support Services and Form 03EN007E, Locate Only Rights and Responsibilities and mailing both to:
Oklahoma Central Case Registry
P.O. Box 268876
Oklahoma City, OK 73126-8876
Upon receipt, CSS will provide the last known address and employment information for the noncustodial parent, unless there are indications of possible family violence issues. For questions regarding Locate Only services, contact Child Support Services’ customer service line at (800) 522-2922.
If you represent a parent involved in a child support case where TANF funds were received, you can contact Child Support Services’ customer service line at (800) 522-2922, identify yourself as an attorney, and ask to be connected to the local office where your client’s case is assigned. Staff in the local office can work with you to determine how much of the case balance is owed to the custodial parent and how much is owed to the State of Oklahoma or another state.
If you represent a parent involved in a child support case, you can contact Child Support Services’ customer service line at (800) 522-2922, identify yourself as an attorney, and ask to be connected to the local office where your client’s case is assigned.
You can find the mailing address, physical location, fax number, and office hours for each child support office on the Child Support District Offices page.
DHS CSS does not provide visitation services but has resources available to assist parents with parenting education, counseling, parenting plans, mediation, and supervised visitation. DHS CSS are contracted with non-for-profit organizations in Tulsa, Norman, and Shawnee, to provide some of these services. These services are available to families with an open child support case and are free of charge.
