A child support order is a court order directing a parent to pay a specific amount of money for the support of their minor children not living with them. Child support orders may be issued as part of a divorce settlement, family support cases, paternity actions and interstate cases. To get a child support order you can file a petition with the circuit court requesting a child support order. The court may enter the order immediately or a hearing will be held and the court will decide the child support amount. After the written support order is signed by the judge and filed with the court clerk, the case will normally be handled by the Friend of the Court office in the county where the case is filed.
Child support continues until a child reaches the age of eighteen.
When a child support is entered, the court will also order that the payments be automatically deducted from the non-custodial parent's paycheck. This is called an income withholding order. The employer sends payments to the Friend of the Court office. The Friend of the Court then issues a check to the custodial parent, keeps records of all payments, and takes action if payments are missed. This pamphlet was prepared by the Michigan State Court Administrative Office.