Your Final Order (which could be a Final Decree of Divorce, Order In Suit Establishing the Parent-Child Relationship, or a Modification Order) along with an Employer’s Wage Withholding Order are entered with the Court, in most cases, at the same time. Court-mandated forms are completed so the District Clerk knows where to send the Employer’s Wage Withholding Order. The order is then sent to the employer of the parent responsible for paying child support. There is a $15.00 fee that must be paid to the District Clerk in order for them to forward the Employer’s Wage Withholding Order to the employer. Upon receipt of the Employer’s Wage Withholding Order, the employer will deduct the child support from the paying parent’s wages from the next pay cycle and forward it to the State Disbursement Unit to be applied to the child support account.

The State Disbursement Unit in San Antonio is set up from the forms received from the District Clerk’s office. You will then receive correspondence from the State of Texas with information related to your account which includes the Attorney General Case Number, instructions to allow you to determine how you wish to receive your child support, and the information necessary for you to set up and access the Texas Attorney General’s website, which you can access at https://childsupport.oag.state.tx.us/wps/portal/csi There are options available to you as to the manner in which you can receive your monthly child support payments which include direct deposit or you may elect to receive a Texas Debit Card. The Attorney General’s website will maintain records of child support payments and disbursements.

This entire process may take up to 30 days to complete. You should then begin getting your child support payments in accordance with the Employer’s Wage Withholding Order in the manner in which you elected to receive child support payments.