Frequently Asked Questions

You must complete an application for services, and mail it to the Door County Child Support Agency, 1211 S. Duluth Ave Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 . You may pick up an application in person at the Child Support Agency, request an application be mailed to you by phoning 920-746-2231, or download an application.

Case management services are available for both the parent paying child support as well as the parent getting child support. Case management services are provided by county and tribal child support agencies, and can be obtained by applying for services. After an application is received, the child support agency will provide case management services to you. These services may include:

• Locating the other parent and his or her financial assets;
• Scheduling genetic tests for the child and the potential father(s) of the child;
• Preparing the papers and taking the case to court to legally identify the father and set up a support order;
• Ensuring that one or both parents provide health insurance for the child(ren);
• Using all available and appropriate enforcement tools to collect support owed;
• Reviewing the support order, when necessary, in case it needs to be changed; and
• Ending the support order, when necessary.

All families paying and receiving child support, family support or maintenance get "financial management" services. These services include:

• Entering the information about the court case and support orders into the Wisconsin child support computer system;
• Working with employers to withhold income for support payments;
• Processing payments;
• Collecting, recording and sending payments;
• Collecting, recording and sending fees;
• Providing monthly account statements;
• Providing payment coupons;
• Providing different ways to pay for customers;
• Providing a direct-deposit and debit card option for parents receiving child support;
• Providing payment information by phone and online; and
• Correcting errors on account balances.

You can call the Wisconsin Support Collections Trust Fund (WI SCTF) at 800-991-5530 and request a participant account history.  It will be mailed to you at the address that is current in the KIDS system at no charge.  Or you can register for your own access to your case at https://csos.wisconsin.gov/login

CP - Custodial parent, or the person who receives the child support money (payee). NCP - non-custodial parent, or the person who pays child support (payer).  

In order to change an existing order, a new court order must be entered. The following are a few options:

1. If it has been over three years since your order was entered or last reviewed you can request that the Child Support Agency review your case to see if it warrants a financial adjustment.  Call the Door County Child Support Agency at 920-746-2231. If your case has been reviewed and determined that it does not warrant a financial adjustment by the Child Support Agency at this time, you will receive a written statement. If you would still like to pursue a review, the following actions are available to you:
2. You may file your own motion with the court to modify your court order through the Clerk of Courts office. See Forms and Publications > Forms to Change a Current Order > Parties Do Not Agree to Change An Order, for more information.
3. You may hire an attorney for this action.
4. If you and the other parent AGREE, you can file a Stipulation and Order agreeing to modify the current child support order. See Forms and Publications > Forms to Change a Current Order > Parties Agree to Change an Order.

Please keep in mind that matters of legal custody and visitation (physical placement) are separate from the financial support of children. Wisconsin’s Child Support Program has no authority to create or enforce custody or visitation orders, and child support agencies do not handle these matters.

Wisconsin’s Child Support Program has no authority to create or enforce custody or visitation orders. Please contact the Family Court Commissioner’s Office for more information. For those wishing to change their placement or custody order, please visit our Forms and Publication site for more information.  Either party may hire an attorney, consult with a pro se organization to help prepare the paper work or file your own motion with the court. 

Only the court can make a decision about ending/lowering support due to injury/unemployment. The agency will not bring a motion to end the support, but you have the ability to bring a motion before the court yourself. See Forms and Publications for more information on options to change child support. 

No. The responsibility for supporting a child rests with the parents of the child. Under Wisconsin law a stepparent has no legal responsibility to support the children of his/her new spouse.  

In order to change an existing order, a new court order must be entered. The following are a few options:

1. If it has been over three years since your order was entered or last reviewed you can request that the Child Support Agency review your case to see if it warrants a financial adjustment.  Call the Door County Child Support Agency at 920-746-2231. If your case has been reviewed and determined that it does not warrant a financial adjustment by the Child Support Agency at this time, you will receive a written statement. If you would still like to pursue a review, the following actions are available to you:
2. You may file your own motion with the court to modify your court order through the Clerk of Courts office. See Forms and Publications > Forms to Change a Current Order > Parties Do Not Agree to Change An Order, for more information.
3. You may hire an attorney for this action.
4. If you and the other parent AGREE, you can file a Stipulation and Order agreeing to modify the current child support order. See Forms and Publications > Forms to Change a Current Order > Parties Agree to Change an Order.

The issue of placement/visitation is separate and distinct from the requirement to meet your child support obligation. The child support agency does not have the authority to address custody and placement issues. The Family Court Commissioner’s office can assist with placement and custody and potentially may make a referral for mediation.  If you need to bring a motion before the court to have the matter addressed, documents for this purpose are available on our Forms and Publications page.

You are ultimately responsible for making child support payments. If you notice that the payments are being deducted by your employer, but they are not being credited to your account, you need to keep copies of your paystubs to prove the deductions were made by your employer. Your Support Specialist may then take action against the employer for failure to send in the payments. Call the Door County Child Support Agency for more information 920-746-2231.

The money a parent spends on housing, utilities and food are expenses that are shared with the children. If you believe your children are not being adequately fed, clothed and housed, you may contact the county social services agency where your children live. Neither the state nor the federal government has jurisdiction over how the child support payments are spent.

Please keep in mind that matters of legal custody and visitation (physical placement) are separate from the financial support of children.  Wisconsin’s Child Support Program has no authority to create or enforce custody or visitation orders, and child support agencies do not handle these matters.

If you are concerned about safety issues or the environment at the other parent’s home, you should contact the Door County Department of Health and Human Services.  This agency is responsible for investigating suspected child abuse or neglect cases reported to them.  The phone number for the Door County Department of Health and Human Services is (920) 746-2588.

Child support agencies have many tools to help them enforce child support orders. Some tools, such as charging interest on past-due support, are done automatically. For the most efficient and effective use of staff time, child support agencies use their experience to choose what tools (actions) they take and when. For instance, they might write warning letters before they take a more drastic action. Some enforcement tools and actions require due process or a court action. Jail is not always the best way to get money for your children.

Months before the youngest child’s 18th birthday, a letter is system-generated and sent to both parents at the last address on record informing both parents that the child is turning 18 and contact must be made with the Child Support Agency to confirm the child’s attendance in high school. If no contact is made from either parent, the order ends  at the end of the month of the child’s 18th birthday and payments received after that are applied to any unpaid past child support and unpaid court costs and fees. If the Child Support Agency receives a letter on the school’s letterhead confirming that the child is enrolled and pursuing an accredited course of instruction leading to a high school diploma, the order will end at the end of the month on the date that is stated on the letter that the course work was completed or at the end of the month of the date of graduation that is stated on the letter. If the graduation date extends beyond the child’s 19th birthday, child support will end at the end of the month of the child’s 19th birthday. However, payments will not be stopped until all unpaid past child support and unpaid court costs and fees are paid in full per Wisconsin statute.

If the release of your address, phone number, employer, or other location information would put you or your children at risk, ask your child support worker for privacy protection. Click here to download the privacy protection form. 

You can view and print your payment history from the Child Support Online Services site. (Registration is required). You can pick a statement for one or for all of your cases. You can choose from the following time frames:

• the past 90 days
• year-to-date
• past calendar year

You may also call the KIDS Information Line and ask to have a payment history mailed to you.

Federal rules and state law dictate how support collections are paid out. For information on Serial-Family Orders, click here.

In most cases, support is paid out within two business days of the Trust Fund receiving a payment. New income withholdings, the first payment on a debit card, and payments from tax returns can take longer. Additionally, payments that come in on the weekend, or over a holiday can also take an extra day or two to be sent.

Yes. Medical support may include health insurance, and/or payment of medical costs. Both parents are responsible to provide medical support for their children.

Yes. Most child support services are available locally. Parents may apply for child support services regardless of where the other parent lives or where their order is from.

Child support is not discharged by a bankruptcy action. A child support order will remain in place and past-due support owed cannot be forgiven or reduced by the bankruptcy action. However, your child support agency’s ability to enforce your child support order will be limited by federal and state law during the course of the bankruptcy. Please contact your child support agency for more information on how bankruptcy may affect your individual case.