Custodial Fathers and Child Support 

Responsible Fatherhood Spotlight 

September 2008 

Take Time to Be a Dad Today 

National Responsible Fatherhood Clearinghouse  101 Lake Forest Boulevard, Suite 360  Gaithersburg, MD 20877 

Toll-free: 1 (877) 4DAD411  Fax: (301) 948-4325  www.fatherhood.gov 

In 2004, an estimated 14 million parents had custody of 21.6 million children. Five of every six custodial parents were mothers (83.1 percent) and one in six were fathers (16.9 percent). Child support can represent an important income source for many families, and the receipt of this support may be critical for child well-being.i

Definitions A custodial parent refers to the parent with whom a child primarily lives, and the person to whom payments are to be made under a child support order. A Noncustodial parent refers to a parent who is not the primary caregiver of a child or children and who typically is obligated to pay child support. Child support embodies the principle that parents are responsible for providing financial support to ensure the wellbeing of their children, even when the children do not live with them. During parental divorce or separation, courts typically grant visitation rights to the noncustodial parent; in such cases, one parent is often awarded custody and takes on the 

role of primary caregiver of the child or children. The other 

parent is then obligated to pay a proportioinvolved in raising the child or children. 

Child support is often awarded to one paparents share joint custody of the child or rare cases, a parent with sole custody of may be ordered to pay child support to thto support the children while they are in tChild Support Enforcement (CSE) refers aimed at ensuring the economic security absent homes. Congress established a mchild support in 1975 when it enacted TitlSecurity Act.ii The basic purpose of this 

that noncustodial parents financially suppchildren, especially those on welfare.iii

Child custody has two dimensions: 

• Physical custody refers to the day

child and establishes where a chiwith physical custody have the rigor children live with them. 

• Legal custody generally refers to 

major decisions for their child or c
1 (877) 4DAD411 Page 2 of 6 

more common for parents to have joint legal custody of a child than it is for them to have joint physical custody.iv

Importance and Implications of Child Support Child support legislation has focused on fostering responsible behaviors toward children by parents, and contributing to the well-being of families.v As noted, child support can represent 

an important income source for many families, and the receipt of such support may be critical for child well-being. Particularly since 1975, policy makers have focused on the child support system as a means of reducing the number of families in poverty and the public cost of supporting those families.vi

Many policy makers view child support as a key income support.vii

Implications for Fathers 

• While some noncustodial fathers fail to make child 

support payments because they are unwilling to do so, the majority of low-income noncustodial fathers fail to meet their child support obligations because they do not earn enough to pay what is ordered.viii

• As child support enforcement forges a monetary 

connection between many nonresident fathers and their children, fathers may have more desire to maintain or develop an emotional connection to their children.ix

Implications for Children 

• “Fathers who pay child support are more likely to visit 

their children. A support order increases the chances that children born out of wedlock will have contact with their nonresident fathers.”x

Implications for Fathers’ Partners 

• Child support is an extremely imp

income for poverty-level families.x

• Many mothers value fathers’ in-ki

consider the sharing of child care responsibilities as a demonstratioinvolvement. In this respect, the cenforcement system, which ignoredoes not recognize some values ocommunities regarding child supp

Trends in Child Support Awards and ATime The following tables illustrate child suppoparents. Tables 1 and 2 show trends in cand agreements between 1993 and 2003 mothers and custodial fathers. (Agreemethe custodial parent as legally established government entity). Table 1 shows that thcustodial mothers who had child support awards increased from 59.8 percent in 192003. Conversely, Table 2 shows that the custodial fathers who had child support adecreased modestly between 1993 and 2than that of custodial mothers. xiii
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Table 1: Percentage of Custodial Mothers Who Were Granted 

Child Support Agreements or Awards, 1993-2003 

Year Custodial 

Mothers 

N 

(in thousands) 

1993 59.8% 11,505 1995 61.4% 11,607 1997 59.6% 11,872 1999 62.2% 11,499 2001 63.0% 11,291 2003 64.2% 11,587 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, April 1994-2004 

Table 2: Percentage of Custodial Fathers Who Were Granted 

Child Support Agreements or Awards, 1993-2003 

Year Custodial 

Fathers 

N 

(in 

thousands) 

1993 42.2% 2,184 1995 40.0% 2,108 1997 38.3% 2,077 1999 39.2% 2,030 2001 38.6% 2,092 2003 39.8% 2,364 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, April 1994-2004 

Differences in Child Support by Subgroups Some studies indicate a steady increase in the amount of child support collected, yet the amount owed continues to be much greater than the amount received. As a result, some people 

worry that child support policies—rather tcompliance and enforcement as intendedcases have the opposite result of reducinsupport awards made.xiv

Differences by Gender Table 3 shows that in 2003 among all cupercent were granted an award to receive the noncustodial parent. This proportion wthat of custodial mothers who were grant

Table 3: Percentage of Custodial Parents 

Awards and Agreements by S

Awards 

Granted 

Awards 

Not 

Granted 

Custodial 

Father 39.8% 60.2% 

Custodial 

Mothers 64.2% 35.8% 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Populatio

Differences by Race/Ethnicity Table 4 shows that in 2003 non-Hispanic fathers were supposed to receive child suhigher rate than were non-Hispanic black shows that among all custodial fathers, a non-Hispanic white fathers actually receivpayments, compared with other racial su
1 (877) 4DAD411 Page 4 of 6 

Table 4: Percentage of Child Support Payments Awarded to 

Custodial Fathers by Race and Ethnicity, 2003 

Race Supposed 

to receive 

payment 

All 

Received 

Payments

Did not 

receive any 

payments 

Non-Hispanic White 34.6% 27.6% 7.1% 

Non-Hispanic Black 21.4% 8.6% 12.8% 

Hispanic (any race) 32.7% 18.8% 13.9% 

Total (in thousands) 722 521 201 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, April 2004 

Differences by Martial Status Table 5 shows that in 2003 among all custodial parents who were supposed to receive child support payments, married, divorced, and separated custodial mothers received child support payments at higher rates, compared with custodial fathers of similar marital statuses. Perhaps surprisingly, among those who were never married, a similar percentage of custodial fathers and mothers received payments that were due to them. 

Table 5: Among Custodial Parents Who 

Receive Child Support Payments, the Pe

Actually Received Payments, by Ma

Current 

Status 

Custodial 

Father 

Married 72.4% 

Divorced 75.4% 

Separated 51.7% 

Never 

Married 

71.8% 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Populatio

Differences by Educational Level Table 6 shows that in 2003 among all cuwith less than a high school education wereceive payments at a higher rate, compadifferent educational levels, and were leapayments due to them. 

Table 6: Percentage of Child Support Pa

Received, by Educational Attain

Custod

Educational 

Attainment 

Supposed to 

Receive 

Payments 

Less than H.S. grad 36.7% 

H.S. grad (or GED) 31.8% 

Some college 31.9% 

Associate degree 28.8% 

Bachelor’s degree 

or more 

25.8% 

Total (in 

thousands) 

740 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Populatio
1 (877) 4DAD411 Page 5 of 6 

Difference by Employment Status Table 7 shows that in 2003 working custodial fathers were about as likely as were custodial fathers who did not work to have child support due to them and to actually receive support payments. 

Table 7: Percentage of Child Support Payments Awarded, and 

Received by Work Experience, 2003 

Custodial Fathers 

Employment Status Supposed to 

Receive 

Received 

Payment 

Working 31.5% 22.6% 

Nonworking 29.6% 21.0% 

Total (in thousands) 741 530 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey, April 2004 

Definition of Measures Child support received pertains to the entire calendar year prior to the survey year.xvData Sources Information on child support trends was reported using the Current Population Survey (CPS), specifically the CPS Child Support Supplement (CPS-CSS), a national survey that collects data in April of every other year. The CPS-CSS provides information about the amount of child support received between April 1994 and April 2003, based on data collected by the U. S. Census Bureau. The Census Bureau surveys collect detailed national information about child support agreements or awards, such as the reported amounts due and received, as well as other socioeconomic characteristics about custodial parents and their families.xvi

The sample represented consists of people is the civilian noninstitutionalized population (e.g., those not in correctional facilities or nursing homes) living in the United States who are 

15 years of age or older and who have thunder 21 years of age living with them, wlives outside the home. 

The tables documenting child support pareceived, awarded, and not awarded) wefrom the April 2004 CPS-CSS. 

Data Limitations The estimates in the Current Population Ssubject to sampling errors. To minimize tCensus Bureau employs quality control pselection, the wording or questions, intervprocessing, and data analysis. Consequdifferences between the estimates for two not be statistically significant.xviiResources 

• The U.S. Census Bureau survey

national information about child suawards, as well as information on characteristics of custodial parentThe Bureau produces reports, brieand other materials on child supphttp://www.census.gov/hhes/www/ch

• The Office of Child Support Enf

enhance the well-being of children children receive the support they assistance in locating absent parepaternity, determining support oblmonitoring and enforcing those obagency’s Web site provides nationinformation on regulations related enforcement: http://www.acf.hhs.go
1 (877) 4DAD411 Page 6 of 6 

References: i Koball, H., & Principe, D. (2002). Do nonresident fathers who pay child support visit their children more? The Urban Institu

Federalism Series B, No. B-44, March; http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/310438.pdf ii Baskerville, S. (2004). The fatherhood crisis: Time for a new look? Dallas: National Center for Policy Analysis. iii Laakso, J.H. (2000). Child support policy: Some critical issues and the implications for social work. Social Work, 45. iv Roberts, Paula (2004). No minor matter: Developing a coherent policy on paternity establishment for children born to und

Childbearing and Reproductive Health Series, No. 2. Center for Law and Social Policy. 

v Ibid. vi Sorensen, E., Mincy, R., & Halpern, A. (2000). Redirecting welfare policy toward building strong families. Washington, DCvii Curran, L. (2003). Social work and fathers: Child support and fathering programs. Social Work, 48(2), 219-227. viii National Women’s Law Center and Center on Fathers, Families, and Public Policy. (2002). Dollars and sense: Improving 

child support obligations for low-income mothers, fathers and children. (2002) Washington, DC: Author. ix Koball, H., & Principe, D. 

x Ibid. xi Gordon, A., Kuhns, C., Loeffler, R., & Agodini, R. (2000). Experiences of Virginia time limit families in the six months afte

of an early cohort. Report submitted to the Virginia 

Department of Social Services. Princeton, NJ: Mathematica Policy Research, Inc. xii Sorensen, E., & Lerman, R. (1998). Welfare reform and low-income noncustodial fathers. Challenge 41(4): 101-116. xiii Grall, T. S. (2004). Custodial mothers and fathers and their child support: 2003. U.S. Census Bureau. U.S. Department o

July 2006. xiv Garfinkel, I., Heintze, T., & Huang, C. (2001). “Child Support Enforcement: Incentives and Well-being,” In B. Meyer & G. 

Incentives of Government Programs and the Well-Being of Families. Chicago, IL: Joint Center for Poverty Research. Retrie

from www.jcpr.org.

xv U.S. Census Bureau, Systems Support Division. Current Population Survey. Accessed May 15, 2007, from http://www.cxvi Ibid. xvii Grall, T. S. (2004)