Support Payment Clearinghouse: Fees, Withholding, and Records

The Arizona Support Payment Clearinghouse is the state’s centralized system for receiving, recording, and disbursing court-ordered child support and spousal maintenance. It is run by the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES), and unless a judge specifically orders otherwise, every support payment in Arizona routes through it. Older orders that once directed payment to the Clerk of the Superior Court are automatically treated as clearinghouse payments once the paying parent gets notice.¹ That single-funnel design gives both parents one official record of what was paid and when.

How to Make a Payment

DES offers several ways to submit payments. The AZCARES Child Support Portal accepts payment online from a bank account, credit card, or debit card. You can also pay by phone at 602-252-4045 or toll-free at 1-800-882-4151, or through the Payment Gateway at 1-888-585-7942 using Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover.²

For checks, money orders, or cashier’s checks by mail:

Support Payment Clearinghouse
P.O. Box 52107
Phoenix, AZ 85072-2107

For overnight delivery:

Arizona Department of Economic Security
DCSS – State Disbursement Unit
1789 W. Jefferson, Mail Drop 7221
Phoenix, AZ 85007

Keep your own confirmation numbers or receipts. The clearinghouse tracks everything on its end, but a personal backup matters if a payment is ever questioned.

The $8 Monthly Handling Fee

Every support payment processed through the clearinghouse carries a monthly handling fee of $8.00, authorized by ARS § 25-510 and Arizona Administrative Rule R6-7-103.³ The fee is added to the support payment itself. If your monthly support obligation is $500, you send $508.

Those fees fund the child support enforcement administration account that pays for the tracking technology, staff, and infrastructure behind the system.¹

Income Withholding Through Your Employer

Most Arizona child support is collected by income withholding. When a court orders support, it simultaneously assigns a portion of the paying parent’s income. The court can also issue an ex parte order of assignment on request of either parent or the state’s Title IV-D agency, meaning it takes effect without a hearing.⁴

Federal law requires the employer to send withheld amounts to the state disbursement unit within seven business days of each payday.⁵ Employers who fail to withhold or remit face penalties that can include repaying the missed support plus fines.⁶ Arizona lets employers charge up to $1 per payment for processing, capped at $4 per month per employee, taken from the employee’s remaining pay rather than from the support amount.

Why Direct Payments Usually Don’t Count

This is where paying parents get burned most often. Money you hand directly to the other parent, whether cash, Venmo, groceries, or rent paid on their behalf, does not credit against your support obligation unless one of two things is true: a court ordered the direct payment, or both parties signed a written agreement authorizing it.¹

Without one of those, you could pay thousands directly and still legally owe the full amount through the clearinghouse. The rule is rigid because the system only works if payments actually flow through it. If you want credit for a direct payment, get the written agreement in place before you pay.

Keep Your Address Current if You Receive Support

If you receive payments, updating your address with the clearinghouse is on you. When a payment comes back undeliverable, the clearinghouse makes reasonable efforts to locate you. If those efforts fail and payments remain undeliverable for 120 days after the first returned payment, the clearinghouse stops trying and returns the money to the paying parent.⁷

The 120-day clock runs from the date of the first returned payment, not from the date you moved. Update your contact information in the AZCARES portal right after any move to avoid an interruption.

Payment Records and Their Legal Weight

The clearinghouse logs every payment it receives and disburses. Under Arizona law, those records are prima facie evidence of payment or nonpayment. A court will accept them as proof of your payment history unless the other side produces specific evidence that they are wrong.¹

You can request a copy of your full payment history at any time, and the clearinghouse is authorized to charge a fee for producing it.¹ Receiving parents can also request current status information on payments moving through the system. Before any court proceeding involving support, pulling your clearinghouse records is one of the smartest things you can do. Courts treat those records as the official version of events, and arriving without them when the other side has a printout puts you at an immediate disadvantage.

If You Fall Behind

Unpaid support in Arizona accrues interest at 10% per year on the unpaid principal. Interest is simple, not compounding, and starts at the end of the month following the month the payment was due. The same 10% rate applies even after arrears are reduced to a final money judgment.³ On a $10,000 arrearage, that is $1,000 per year in interest alone.

Enforcement tools escalate with the debt:

When a paying parent is at least six months behind and a court finds the failure to pay was willful, Arizona can suspend or restrict driver’s, recreational, and professional or occupational licenses. The Title IV-D agency can also pursue license suspension administratively without a return trip to court.⁸
Federal tax refunds can be intercepted once past-due support reaches $500, or $150 if the custodial parent receives TANF benefits.⁹
At $2,500 in arrears, the U.S. State Department will deny a passport application or refuse to renew an existing passport until the debt is resolved.¹⁰
States must report delinquent obligors to credit bureaus, so unpaid support can damage your credit for years. Arizona must first provide notice and a reasonable opportunity to dispute the information.

Clearinghouse vs. Clerk of the Superior Court

Two offices work in parallel on your case. The Clerk of the Superior Court maintains the legal file, issues ex parte orders of assignment for income withholding, and provides copies of payment histories and court documents. For non-Title IV-D cases, where neither parent has applied for state child support services, the Clerk’s office handles payment inquiries directly, including researching lost or misapplied payments.¹

The Clerk handles the court orders. The clearinghouse handles the money. Both keep independent records, and when those records agree, disputes about payment history rarely go anywhere.

1
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes Title 46-441 – Support Payment Clearinghouse; Records Transfer; Payment; Definition
2
Arizona Department of Economic Security. Parents Who Pay Child Support
3
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes Title 25-510 – Receiving and Disbursing Support and Maintenance Monies; Arrearages; Interest
4
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes Title 25-504 – Order of Assignment; Ex Parte Order of Assignment; Responsibilities; Violation; Termination
5
eCFR. 45 CFR 303.100 – Procedures for Income Withholding
6
Administration for Children & Families. Income Withholding – Answers to Employers’ Questions
7
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes Title 25-503 – Order for Support; Methods of Payment; Modification
8
Arizona Legislature. Arizona Revised Statutes Title 25-518 – Child Support Arrearage; License Suspension; Hearing
9
Administration for Children & Families. When Is a Child Support Case Eligible for the Federal Tax Refund Offset Program?
10
U.S. Department of State. Pay Child Support Before Applying for a Passport