Agencies across the nation — including here in Georgia — have made remarkable strides over the last several decades in expanding the child support payment options available to parents. Indeed, in addition to more traditional methods such as in-person payments and payments by mail or over the phone, parents can now rely on auto deductions from their paychecks and online payment portals.
As much as all this has served to facilitate child support payments, agencies are nevertheless always on the lookout for new ways to increase collections.
By way of illustration, consider the recent efforts of the California Department of Child Support Services, which officially unveiled a new cash pay option back in January that enables parents to make payments via Moneygram, the ubiquitous money transfer company.
To date, the agency indicates that roughly 9,000 cash payments totaling over $2.4 million have been made using Moneygram.
Recognizing the success of this initiative, the department launched a pilot of another cash pay option this past June and July that enabled customers to use a cash payment option called PayNearMe located at over 1,600 7-Eleven stores scattered throughout the nation. Here, parents pay a $1.99 convenience fee to make their payments, which can take up to three days to process.
Over the two-month trial period, 164 cash payments were made totaling over $38,600 from locations across California and even four other states.
Indeed, the short-term success of the PayNearMe option prompted officials to adopt it on a full-time basis, meaning there are now two cash pay options for parents in the Golden State.
“Making it easier and more convenient for parents is our responsibility,” said an agency official. “Now, with the two cash pay services in retail stores throughout the state, we are helping even more customers where they live and work.”
It’s certainly encouraging to see these types of developments, as it means more children will get the financial support they need and deserve.
If you have any questions about child support — payment, modification, enforcement — consider sitting down with an experienced legal professional to learn more.
