All child support payments must be sent directly to the California State Disbursement Unit (SDU).

General Information
If you RECEIVE child support payments
If you PAY child support
If you are an Employer

GENERAL INFORMATION:

In 1996 Congress enacted the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. That federal law requires that every state have a central collection and distribution location for all child support payments. In California that centralized location is called the State Disbursement Unit or SDU. The SDU credits the payments and issues the checks.

PAYMENTS ARE CREDITED AS OF THE DATE THE PAYMENT IS RECEIVED AT THE SDU. If the payment is not received by the SDU by the last day of the month, interest will accrue on the unpaid balance. ALL PAYMENTS MUST BE SENT DIRECTLY TO THE SDU.

The centralization of payment processing offers direct deposit of disbursements from the SDU and electronic transfer of payments to the SDU. The SDU has an electronic help desk to provide assistance to custodial parties, non-custodial parents, employers and other states using electronic processes to make or receive payments. For more information about electronic transfer of payments, please contact the SDU Electronic Help Desk at 1-866-325-1010 or visit the SDU website.

The SDU allocates child support payments to all of a non-custodial parent's cases. If a non-custodial parent has more than one child support case, any payment received will be divided among all the cases. How the payment is allocated between the cases depends on many things, such as whether or not the payment is for current support or for past-due child support, the amount of child support owed, the payment source, and the amount of the payment.

All child support payments must be sent to and disbursed by the SDU. This includes ALL payments currently paid by wage assignment and sent by employers directly to custodial parties (known as NON-IV-D cases, these are cases which are NOT currently open in a local child support office). Payments received by the SDU will be allocated between all of a non-custodial parent's obligations, which will include IV-D cases (cases open in a local child support office) as well as non-IV-D child support cases.

Information about your case is confidential. Confidentiality and privacy laws restrict local child support workers from providing information to anyone who is not a participant in a case. Your local child support office can provide information to you ONLY about YOUR CASE. We cannot provide any information to you about any other individual's case nor can we provide anyone else information about your case.

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IF YOU RECEIVE CHILD SUPPORT PAYMENTS:

Custodial parties have three ways to receive payments. Payments may be received as checks sent through the mail, as a direct deposit to an existing checking or savings account, or as funds transferred to an electronic payment card (known as EPC). Electronic payment cards work as debit cards and can be used at ATMs and for point-of-sale transactions.

If you receive payment through the mail, the check will be printed on green check stock. The envelope and the return address will be from the SDU. To avoid delays, please be sure to provide any change of address to Alameda County DCSS promptly.

To receive the payment by direct deposit to your bank account or to receive an electronic payment card (EPC), complete the form available at the SDU website or call the SDU Help Desk.

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IF YOU PAY CHILD SUPPORT:

All child support payments must be sent to:
State Disbursement Unit
P.O. Box 989067
West Sacramento, CA 95798-9067

If the payment is not received by the SDU before the last day of the month, interest will accrue on any unpaid balance. If your child support payments are withheld from your paycheck, your employer must send the payment to the SDU.

You will continue to receive a monthly billing statement from ACDCSS. If you are not receiving the monthly billing statement, please e-mail us your current mailing address. Please include your ACDCSS case number or participant ID and the new address in the "Comments" section of the e-mail form below:

E-mail Current Mailing Address

If child support payments are not currently being deducted from your paycheck, please e-mail us your current employer. Please include your ACDCSS case number or participant ID and your employer's complete name, address, and phone number in the "Comments" section of the e-mail form below:

E-mail Current Employer Information

If you do not pay by wage withholding, Non Custodial Parent payment options allow an automatic withdrawal from your bank account utilizing a Personal Identification Number (PIN) assigned to you when you register with the SDU. Non-custodial Parents may also pay by MasterCard or Visa credit cards. For more information, please visit the SDU website or call the SDU Help Desk.

You may also mail a payment (check, money order, or other financial instrument) directly to the SDU. Additionally, Western Union currently accepts California child support payments. You simply provide them with your participant ID and your name. Western Union accepts credit cards, checks, or cash.

Please be sure to include your full name, your SDU participant number or Social Security number, and child support case number on any payment or correspondence.

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IF YOU ARE AN EMPLOYER:

Larger Employers (greater than 50 support withholdings) are encouraged to use EFT via ACH credit capabilities. For more information on EFT, please visit the SDU website or call the SDU Help Desk.

Smaller employers (less than 50 support withholdings) and those larger employers unable to submit via the ACH network are encouraged to use the SDU's automatic withdrawal capability. The service is free, requires no investment or special software, is protected by the use of a Personal Identification Number (PIN), and can be done from a checking or savings account. Employers may also pay using MasterCard or Visa credit cards. For more information, please visit the SDU website or call the SDU Help Desk.

Employers may mail California child support withholding for all employees on one check. With the check payable to "California State Disbursement Unit", in the same envelope include a detailed list of each employee's withheld support payments. The detailed information required for each withholding is: Employee's full name, Employee's Social Security number, Court order/case number, Case Identifier, Amount withheld from each employee, and Date withheld. For more information, please visit the SDU website or call the SDU Help Desk.

Employers can also manually enter their employee child support withholding payment information directly into the California Child Support Automated Payment System. Or, the California Child Support Automated Payment System will provide employers with the ability to provide employee payment information in a simple bulk file upload process. For more information, please visit the SDU website or call the SDU Help Desk.

• Case information is confidential. We can only discuss YOUR case with YOU.
• If the non-custodial parent has other children, the amount of child support you receive may change. The amount you are owed will not change unless the current court order is modified. Interest will continue to accrue on any unpaid balance.
• April 1, 2006 - payments credited as of the date received by the SDU.
• July 31, 2006 - statewide allocation began
• September 1, 2006 - all child support payments sent directly to the SDU.

For additional information, please visit the SDU site or call the SDU Electronic Help Desk.

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