Child Support Pass-Through
Child support payments can make a substantial difference in the financial well-being of single mothers and their children. Under federal law, families receiving income assistance, known as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), must assign their rights to child support payments to the state.1 When a state collects child support on behalf of a TANF recipient, the state is permitted to keep the money to reimburse itself and the federal government for TANF assistance. States, however, have the option of allowing some of the child support payment to be “passed through” to the parent and child.2 By providing this additional income, the “pass-through” allows low-income mothers and their children to better meet their daily needs.
Does the state allow families receiving Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) to keep some amount of the child support payments collected on their behalf?
States receive a "meets policy" if they have a child support "pass-through" policy and a "no policy" if they do not have such a policy.
| State | Strength of Policy | Change from 2007 |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No Policy | Same |
| Alaska | Meets Policy | Same |
| Arizona | No Policy | Same |
| Arkansas | No Policy | Same |
| California | Meets Policy | Same |
| Colorado | No Policy | Same |
| Connecticut | Meets Policy | Same |
| Delaware | Meets Policy | Same |
| District of Columbia | Meets Policy | Same |
| Florida | No Policy | Same |
| Georgia | Meets Policy | Same |
| Hawaii | No Policy | Same |
| Idaho | No Policy | Same |
| Illinois | Meets Policy | Same |
| Indiana | No Policy | Same |
| Iowa | No Policy | Same |
| Kansas | No Policy | Same |
| Kentucky | No Policy | Same |
| Louisiana | No Policy | Same |
| Maine | Meets Policy | Same |
| Maryland | No Policy | Same |
| Massachusetts | Meets Policy | Same |
| Michigan | Meets Policy | Same |
| Minnesota | Meets Policy | Same |
| Mississippi | No Policy | Same |
| Missouri | No Policy | Same |
| Montana | No Policy | Same |
| Nebraska | No Policy | Same |
| Nevada | No Policy | Same |
| New Hampshire | No Policy | Same |
| New Jersey | Meets Policy | Same |
| New Mexico | Meets Policy | Same |
| New York | Meets Policy | Same |
| North Carolina | No Policy | Same |
| North Dakota | No Policy | Same |
| Ohio | No Policy | Same |
| Oklahoma | No Policy | Same |
| Oregon | Meets Policy | Better |
| Pennsylvania | Meets Policy | Same |
| Rhode Island | Meets Policy | Same |
| South Carolina | Meets Policy | Same |
| South Dakota | No Policy | Same |
| Tennessee | Meets Policy | Same |
| Texas | Meets Policy | Better |
| Utah | No Policy | Same |
| Vermont | Meets Policy | Same |
| Virginia | Meets Policy | Same |
| Washington | Meets Policy | Better |
| West Virginia | No Policy | Same |
| Wisconsin | Meets Policy | Same |
| Wyoming | No Policy | Same |
Data Source: Michelle Vinson and Vicki Turetsky, Center for Law and Social Policy, “State Child Support Pass-Through Policies,” June 12, 2009, available at: http://www.clasp.org/admin/site/publications/files/PassThroughFinal06120..., accessed September 10, 2010.
Footnotes
1 42 U.S.C. § 657(a)(1)(A) (2006).
2 42 USC § 657 (2006). Additionally, this amount of child support – $50/month in the majority of states, though some states pass through up to $200/month for families with two or more children—is “disregarded” in calculating the amount of TANF assistance the family receives, so that the state does not count it as additional income to the family and reduce the amount of assistance by the amount of child support given to the family.
