City Hall will help pay child support debts in New York: you can apply until March 15

New York's Office of Child Support Services (OCSS) allows parents (not guardians) who have permanent alimony arrears to the New York Department of Social Services (DSS), pay off your debt in half the time.

A child support debt owed to DSS is when a child receives cash support (Cash Assistance), and the parent (not the guardian) does not make payments ordered by the court. The amount owed to DSS averages $4,822 per case.

In the program “Pay off your debt” (Pay It Off – PIO) more than 4000 parents have already taken part. From March 1 to March 15, 2024, you must make a minimum payment of $500 and sign and submit the PIO Program Agreement. OCSS will then double your payment, reducing the debt by the same amount (up to the remaining balance).

Step 1. Sign the agreement

From March 1 to March 15, email, mail, or bring in person a completed and signed agreement and a copy of your photo ID. To obtain a loan, a separate agreement is required for each case.

Send an email to: [email protected]. In the Subject field, enter Pay It Off. Please include your full name and case number (for example, AB12345X1) or your date of birth.

Bring it in person to: OCSS Customer Service Walk-In Center, 151 West Broadway, 4th Floor. Schedule: from Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 18:00 (except weekends and holidays).

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Step 2: Make your payment(s)

1. Make a payment of $500 or more to the PIO program between March 1 and March 15. Payment must be received no later than March 15, 2024 to qualify for the credit.

2. PIO payment must be made upon completion of the agreement. When submitting the agreement, please specifically indicate when and how payment will be made.

3. If you have several cases, make payments for each case separately.

4. Payments should be made to the NYS Child Support Processing Center.

5. In the purpose of payment, indicate the case number for collecting child support and the name of the Pay It Off program (pay off the debt).

Step 3: Double your eligible payments

OCSS will send you a summary of the actions taken within 4-5 weeks of receiving the agreement and payment(s).

Step 4: Reduce Your Debt Even More

Enroll in the Arrears Credit Program (ACP). Apply for ACP between March 1 and March 15, 2024, and be eligible for one-time NYC DSS debt relief of up to $2.

Pay your monthly court-ordered child support obligation in full for a year and receive up to $5 of your NYC DSS debt forgiven at the end of 000 months. By staying in the program for three years, you have a chance to reduce your NYC DSS debt by up to $12. For more information, visit nyc.gov/ocss-debt-reduction.

If you pay the principal amount of your court ordered child support to NYC DSS, your interest will be written off.