Common Questions: General (Go Back)

Q: How can I determine how much support I'm owed?
A: You should contact the government child support agency currently responsible for processing your child support payments. They can send you a statement of arrears and a payment history. If you haven’t been working with a government child support office, or if the government child support office has closed your case, you will probably need to research your own records to determine the correct balance. Once you get started with Support Collectors, we’ll help you figure out how much you’re owed.

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Q: How do I get started?
A: You can get started right now. It only takes a few minutes.  You can either use our secure on-line application or ask us to send you a paper application.

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Q: How is Support Collectors different than the government agency I've been working with?
A: Government child support agencies do a great job on a lot of cases.  Unfortunately, budget constraints have reduced their ability to provide personalized service and solutions.  As a result, many of the more difficult cases have “fallen through the cracks.”  Support Collectors assigns its Enforcement Specialists smaller, more manageable caseloads.  That allows us to devote more time and resources toward determining the particular needs of your case. It is this individualized attention that sets Support Collectors apart.

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Q: What is Support Collectors' fee? When will I have to pay?
A: When it comes to the cost of our services our philosophy is simple: we don't get paid unless you do. We are so confident in our ability to collect child support that we won't ask for a dime until we have put money in your pocket. Compare this with other private agencies that charge additional amounts up to $500 for "intake" or "processing" fees. There are no such fees with Support Collectors.  If our enforcement efforts are successful we will charge a fee equal to 30%* of the support we collect. You will keep 70% of the support collected. We hope you'll agree with so many of our clients who have told us that "Getting 70% of something is better than 100% of nothing!"

*Several states require a slightly different fee.

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Q: If I don't have a copy of my court order, how can I get one?
A: You will need to contact the clerk of the court in the county where your divorce or child support order was entered. Even if your court order is many years old, the clerk of the court should have a copy. If you have any trouble, just let us know. We’re here to help.  The “Contact Us” page lists our toll-free number, fax number, physical address and email address.

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Q: I'm concerned about my privacy. Will you release my information to anyone?
A: At Support Collectors, we take the responsibility of safeguarding your privacy very seriously.  We have a strict Privacy Policy that prohibits your personal information being released to anyone.

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Q: Can you help me even if I don't know where the absent parent is located?
A: Yes we can.  Locating missing parents is an important part of what we do. Our team includes Locate Specialists with many years of experience tracking down the most evasive of parents. Like government child support agencies, we use special databases to find elusive parents.  Unlike government child support agencies, we also use a “hands-on”, labor intensive approach that includes talking to relatives, neighbors and friends to find the other parent’s whereabouts.  Remember, though, this is a team effort and including as much information about the other parent as possible in the application is very important, as well as keeping us updated with new information.

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Q: What should I look for when choosing a private enforcement agency?
A: This question is so important that we put the guidelines on our Home Page.  Please read the section entitled “Choosing a Private Agency”.

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Q: Will I have to appear in Court?
A: It is unlikely you will have to return to court if you already have a support order.  Occasionally, though, Support Collectors may determine that the best child support enforcement solution requires returning to court.  If that’s the case, Support Collectors will hire an attorney to represent you.

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Q: Will I have to fill out a lot of complicated forms?
A: No. Our forms are easy to complete. Some of the forms provide Support Collectors with the information and authorization we need to enforce your case.  Other forms authorize government child support agencies to work cooperatively with us.  If you have questions or need assistance, our Customer Service Representatives will be happy to help you.

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Q: Can Support Collectors help me understand some of the confusing child support terms I'm hearing?
A: Yes.  We’ve developed a Glossary of commonly used child support enforcement terms with definitions that are easy to understand. If you’re still confused or have questions, our Customer Service Representatives are here to help!

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Our clients say...

Support Collectors was efficient (always returning my calls promptly), understanding, supportive, fair, and, most importantly, successful. I recommend you highly and am looking forward to continuing to work with you in the future.

Thanks, for everything.
- Julie S., Texas
Collected $20,000


I want to thank you for the money you were able to collect for me.

Without you I would have never gotten a cent. My only regret is that I didn't get you involved sooner in my case. Thank you for all your efforts.
- Cheyenne D., California
Collected $28,000


I would like to thank you all for the quick but hard work that you have done in collecting my back child support. It is such a relief to have an end to the long, frustrating road of trying to make my child's father owe up to his responsibilities. Too often, I had to listen to his excuses when he didn't pay his monthly child support...Then the months became years. Please extend my words of encouragement to other distressed parents, there can be a light at the end of the tunnel so don't be afraid to pursue what rightfully belongs to you and your children. Again, I think you, the Support Collectors staff for putting an end to this matter.
- Novella L., Louisiana
Collected $24,000


I supplied all the information that I had and researched all that I could to help Support Collectors in the fight to collect my child support. Every time that I emailed or called Support Collectors, I either talked to someone or my call was returned in a timely fashion.

Any person that I talked with was extremely polite and caring. During a time when a single parent is juggling life, it is so encouraging to talk with someone who understands and is actually working to help fix the problem. With the help of Support Collectors, I am reeceiving the child support ordered by the court without having to reduce myself to a beggar. My daughters now have the money they need to have a home, food, and shelter.

I an pleased and thrilled with Support Collectors. Your company is supplying a much needed service and I hope you have much success. On behalf of my daughters, thank you.
- Becky L., Michigan
Collected $26,000


I recently acquired services from Support Collectors in assisting me with collecting child support from an absent parent. Shortly after obtaining the necessary information on my behalf, Support Collectors, within weeks, were able to obtain contact with the absent parent and have payments sent to me...I just want to extend a big 'THANK YOU' to a company for a job well done-something my local office wasn't able to do.

I will certainly pass the word around to single parents in the same situation.
- Antionette M., Missouri
Collected $30,000