Pay It Off: The Return of a Special Child Support Debt-Reduction Program in New York City
Between June 1 and June 15, a New York City Office of Child Support Enforcement (NYC OCSE) program called Pay It Off will give parents $2 in credit for every $1 dollar they pay toward child support debt owed to the New York City government (up to the total amount owed to the City). To qualify, parents need to make a minimum payment of $1,000.
Participants will also have their cases reviewed to see whether they might benefit from employment services, mediation services, and NYC OCSE’s other debt-reduction programs.
Child support debt can accumulate when not paid consistently or in full. For noncustodial parents whose children receive public assistance, the debt is owed to the government to reimburse it for the cash benefits the family received.
This year’s Pay It Off program builds on the success of the initiative in 2013 and 2014, when NYC OCSE reduced the debt owed by parents who pay child support by a total of nearly $3.3 million.
Within three months of the end of the 2014 program, nearly half of the program’s participants had eliminated all the child support debt they owed the City government. During that same time, participants who continued to owe current child support were able to pay an average of $162 more every month.
The program’s success is further evidence of something that has long been clear: noncustodial parents want to put child support debt behind them and focus on what matters most: the well-being of their children.
How to Be a Part of Pay It Off
To participate, parents with child support debt owed to New York City should visit the NYC OCSE Customer Service Walk-In Center at 151 West Broadway in Manhattan by June 15, 2016to make their payments.
Participants can use the following forms of payment for Pay It Off: money orders, certified and personal checks, credit cards, and debit cards (provided the debit cards have a Visa or MasterCard logo).
For more information about Pay It Off, call 929-252-5200 or visit the NYCOCSE Customer Service Walk-In Center. Normally open from Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
