Child Support

Paternity establishment can provide basic emotional, social and economic ties between a father and his child. Paternity is also a legal prerequisite for a father pursuing parenting time.

The caseworker needs as much information as you can give about the alleged father(s) and the facts about your relationship(s), your pregnancy, and the birth of your child. Some of these questions may be personal. The CSEA must keep the information that you give confidential. The CSEA requires the party seeking support to complete a questionnaire. You may need to provide birth certificates, proof of marriage, or court orders depending on the facts of your case.

The more information that is provided to the CSEA, the better the chances paternity may be established. When more than one man could be the father of a child, each may be required to take a genetic test. These tests are highly accurate, and it is almost always possible to determine who fathered a child and to rule out anyone who did not.

The mother, legal guardian, the child born out of wedlock, or the man alleging to be the father may request the establishment of paternity through the CSEA for a child born out of wedlock for whom paternity has not been determined.

Paternity can be established in Ohio by a Paternity Affidavit, an Administrative Order based on genetic testing results, or a Court Order. See also, "Who is a presumed father?".

When the child is born and paternity is not in dispute, the hospital will assist both parents in completing the Acknowledgement of Paternity Affidavit. If anyone is presumed to be the father or if both parents are not willing to sign the document the Acknowledgement of Paternity Affidavit cannot be signed. This is a legally binding document, signed under oath. Please read it carefully and provide only truthful information.

If the paternity affidavit is not signed, the alleged father's name will not appear on the birth certificate. If the mother of the child is married, the name of the husband will appear on the birth certificate, without the need for the husband to sign an affidavit. The same conditions apply for filling out the form at the CSEA that apply at the hospital. If the Paternity Acknowledgement is signed and notarized at the CSEA, the CSEA will send the document to the Central Paternity Registry at no cost to you. The CSEA strongly encourages genetic testing when a Paternity Acknowledgement has not been signed.

Either party may rescind the Acknowledgement of Paternity Affidavit no later than 60 days after the date of the latest signature. After 60 days, an Acknowledgment is considered final and cannot be changed through the

• A man is presumed to be the biological father of a child when a final and enforceable determination of paternity does NOT exist, and the man and child's mother are married to each other and the child was born during the marriage or within 300 days after the marriage was terminated by death, annulment, divorce, or dissolution.
• If this presumption of paternity exists, then the CSEA’s genetic testing paternity establishment services are available at the request of either the mother, presumed father, or man alleging to be the biological father.

• Genetic testing is a quick and painless way to establish paternity. The CSEA conducts the genetic testing on-site in our building by using the buccal swab (a large cotton swab) method and collecting a sample via swabbing the inner facial cheek. The samples are collected by a trained technician.
• It takes three to four weeks, once the last sample is collected, to obtain results. The parties will receive copies of the test results and the administrative order depending on the outcome.

The results will be issued by regular mail. Please keep the CSEA updated with any changes in address so all paperwork will be received. Please read all of your paperwork.

Upon receipt of a genetic test result of 99% or higher, the CSEA will issue an Administrative Order of Paternity and will set the case for an Administrative Child Support Hearing. If the result is returned at 0.00%, the CSEA will issue an Administrative Order of Non-Paternity and close the case for the alleged father.

• Default is an administrative process governed by the Ohio Administrative Code.
• An Obligor is in default if his/her arrearage (past-due support) balance exceeds their monthly support order amount.
• The Obligor will receive a Default Notice by mail. The default may be contested via a timely request for an administrative hearing.
• A default finding results in legally required enforcement actions.

• Credit bureau reporting
• Interception of federal and state tax refunds
• Passport denial

• Driver’s license suspension
• Recreational (hunting/fishing) or professional license suspension
• Freeze/seize bank accounts via the Financial Institution Data Match (FIDM)
• Property liens

The CSEA represents the best interests of the child/ren of the case, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, and the State of Ohio.  The CSEA does not provide legal representation or legal advice for either party at court hearings.  The CSEA’s Legal Department, led by three Special Assistant Prosecuting Attorneys, maintains full discretion to initiate the following court enforcement actions on a case-by-case basis as appropriate:

• Civil contempt charges
• Criminal non-support actions

The CSEA must apply an existing deviation to court-ordered support so long as the specific monetary amount or percentage value of the deviation can be clearly determined from the language used in the existing support order.

The CSEA is not able to inquire as to whether the basis of the deviation remains; it will simply apply the existing deviation, if appropriate, when modifying the order.  If the CSEA cannot determine a specified monetary amount or percentage value of the deviation, the existing deviation will not be preserved.

If during the modification process, one, or both, of the parties seeks to alter or eliminate a specific (as explained above) and existing deviation, a court hearing objection must be requested.

The CSEA has 15 days from the date that we receive the request to respond. The CSEA will send notification of the date of the scheduled Administrative Review (desk review) via regular mail or a denial notice if the case does not qualify for an Administrative Review.  If approved, each party will be given 45 days to submit the necessary documentation to complete the review. The Administrative Review is a desk review conducted by a CSEA caseworker and attendance is not permitted for the Administrative Review. Upon completion the caseworker will send both parties the Administrative Recommendation via regular mail.

Each party has a right to object to the Administrative Recommendation and must submit their objection in writing within 14 days after receiving the Recommendation. If a timely objection is filed, your case will be scheduled for an Administrative Hearing at the CSEA in front of an Administrative Hearing Officer.

Each party will be given an opportunity to testify to each item on the Ohio Guidelines Worksheet. Each party should bring all documentation they submitted to the caseworker for the desk review and any new, relevant evidence. The Administrative Hearing Officer will listen to all testimony and re-review all of the documentation before making a decision. An Administrative Hearing Decision will be sent to both parties.

Upon receipt of the Administrative Hearing Decision if you do not agree you may submit an objection directly with the Court within 14 days. The Child Support Office does not schedule the Court Objection Hearing.  The objecting party must file on their own or through their legal counsel directly with the Court. The Child Support office cannot offer advice.  For legal advice you should contact an attorney.

If a caretaker obligee (support recipient) is involved, both non-custodial parents’ orders will be reviewed, and potentially modified, in accordance with Ohio law (ORC 3119.02, 3119.021(A), 3119.07(C)).

Current state law stipulates child support continues until a child reaches the age of 18 and continues beyond age 18 so long as the child is attending an accredited high school on a full-time basis. Child support terminates when a child reaches the age of 19 regardless of school enrollment, unless otherwise stated in an original order. Generally, the earliest date for termination of a support order is the month and year in which a child reaches the age of majority.

There are other reasons why a child support order should terminate including:

• Death of the child
• Death of the obligor
• Death of the obligee
• Adoption of the child
• Marriage of the child
• Deportation of the child
• Emancipation of the child
• A change in the legal custody of the child

Other appropriate circumstances may exist as approved by the Court.

• The parties are required to notify the CSEA of any of the above listed criteria that may result in the termination of the support order for a child. The CSEA also works reports that assist in finding cases where termination of a support order may be necessary. If your child will be graduating in May/June please notify the CSEA prior to graduation.
• Notification from the parties or their families is extremely important in the event of the death of a party or an adoption, as the CSEA is not otherwise made aware of these occurrences from the court, etc.
• Upon completion of the termination investigation, the caseworker will send both parties an Administrative Termination Findings and Recommendation via regular mail detailing the results of the investigation.

Each step in the administrative process allows a 14 day objection period for both parties. The process is complete when the final order is filed with the appropriate court. You should anticipate that the process will take 60 days or more.

​​Please provide the CSEA with the proof of adoption. This action will result in the termination of the current support obligation, but does not automatically remove or forgive any delinquent child support payments. Adoption records are not open to the public, you must provide all necessary paperwork to the CSEA: the CSEA cannot obtain records from the courts.

If the party that pays support dies the current support obligation terminates upon the death. Any delinquent payments may be collected from the obligor's estate. The obligee may also want to explore any Social Security death benefits that may be available for the child of the deceased.

​The Administrative Termination Recommendation will address both issues. If arrearages are still owed and the current support order is terminating an arrearage repayment amount will be included within the Recommendation and will be ordered to be paid until the arrearage balance is paid in full. Likewise, if the amount of child support has been overpaid, the amount of the overpayment will be included within the Recommendation. The child support will be terminated early to eliminate the overpayment or a repayment amount will be set to be paid by the Obligee.

Both parties have the right to object to the Administrative Termination Findings and Recommendations. The objection must be submitted to the agency within 14 days from the time-stamped date on the notice. The CSEA will then set the case for an Administrative Hearing before an Administrative Hearing Officer.

The Administrative Hearing will be heard by the Administrative Hearing Officer. Each party will be given an opportunity to present information as to the status of the child. Each party should bring any evidence to the hearing that is relevant to the case. A CSEA representative may also be present and may testify to any financial audit which was included in the Administrative Termination Recommendation. The Administrative Hearing Officer will then make a decision and an Administrative Hearing Decision will be sent to both parties.

Upon receipt of the Administrative Hearing Decision if you do not agree you may submit an objection directly with the Court within 14 days.

​The Child Support Office does not schedule the Court Objection Hearing.  The objecting party must file on their own or through their legal counsel directly with the Court. The Child Support office cannot offer advice.  For legal advice you should contact an attorney.