Alameda County Department of Child Support Services Compromise of Arrears Program (COAP) (2024)

FAQs

What is the compromise of arrears Program in California? ›

COAP is a California program designed to help you reduce the child support debt owed to the government. If you qualify, you will be offered an opportunity to pay an amount that is less than the full amount you owe. Qualification is not a guarantee that arrears will be compromised.

Arrears may be paid off all at once in a lump sum, or over time in a payment plan, depending upon the details of your case. Any debt reduction agreement must take into consideration the needs of the children named in the child support order and the parent's ability to pay.

Under special circ*mstances, the court may order child support to continue after the child is an adult. If past-due support (called arrears) is still owed, the local child support agency may continue to enforce collection until the balance including interest is paid in full.

Back child support cannot, and should not, be reduced under bankruptcy. However, if you have a job and can complete a pay-off within five years, you may be able to get interest waived. All payments will then be applied to the back child support instead of to the interest.

This bill, commencing September 1, 2024, would, among other things, revise the statewide uniform guideline for determining child support, including the amount that establishes a rebuttable presumption that the obligor is entitled to a low-income adjustment.

There is no statute of limitation for enforcing California child support orders (or spousal support orders as well).

If your back support is based on an Invalid Judgment (e.g., you were never properly served with Court papers) your back child support can be wiped-out if the Judgment is “set-aside.” In one of our LA cases, where the parent was “served” at the wrong address, we were able to wipe-out more than $27,000 of arrears.

If a parent misses one or more child support payments, the court may issue a warrant for the arrest of that parent.

Modification of Child Support Arrearages

The amount you owe in child support arrearages may only be modified if you reach a mutual agreement with the other parent involved. The court has no authority to change or reduce the amount you owe in child support arrears.

If an 18-year-old still has a semester left before they graduate when their birthday arrives, then child support may continue until they complete their secondary education. California does not impose any financial obligation on parents during the college years.

Can you sue for child support after 18 in California? ›

The laws on suing for back child support differ from state to state. Some states have a statute of limitations on enforcing a court order. In California, a parent or child has 10 years to launch a lawsuit. 10 years past the child's 19^th birthday, if the child was in high school past their 18^th.

The California Department of Child Support Services (DCSS) is authorized to collect past due child support by levying bank accounts, IRAs and financial securities.

FINANCIAL HARDSHIP Circ*mstances evidencing hardship include extraordinary health expenses for which the parent is financially responsible, and uninsured catastrophic losses; minimum basic living expenses of parent's natural or adopted children for whom the parent has the obligation to support from other marriages or ...

The State of California allows for interest to be charged on missed support payments at the rate of 10% per annum.

California debt relief is a real thing. It's available through a number of different California Debt Relief programs, including the state's Debt Relief Program and Mortgage Assistance Program.

The California Arrearage Payment Program, or CAPP, is a state program to help pay customers' eligible past due energy utility bills that increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. CAPP reduces qualified customers' unpaid energy bills by directly applying a credit to their utility bill.

Interest is charged on all DCSS cases at the rate of 10% per year, with the following exemptions (for more information contact your Local Child Support Agency): A court order states a different interest rate to be charged. A court order from another state will have interest assessed at that state's legal rate.

In California, consistent failure to pay child support can result in a felony charge. This is when the parent who should be paying support owes more than $2,500 in back payments.