Where to report non-payment in Texas
In Texas, you report non-payment of child support to the Office of the Attorney General, Child Support Division. This is the state agency that enforces child support orders. You do not go to court first or contact a private lawyer to file a report — the Attorney General's office handles enforcement for free.
You can report non-payment by phone, mail, or in person. The fastest route is calling your local regional office. Texas has 13 regional offices across the state, and you contact the one that covers your county. The Attorney General's website lists all regional offices with phone numbers and addresses.
When you call, have your case number ready if you have one. If you do not, have the other parent's name and date of birth. The office will pull up your case and take a report of the missed payment. You do not need a lawyer to make this call.
Key Takeaways
- Report non-payment to the Texas Attorney General's Child Support Division, not to a court or private lawyer.
- Find your regional office on the Attorney General's website and call with your case number or the other parent's name and birth date.
- The Attorney General can place a hold on tax refunds, suspend driver's licenses, and report arrears to credit bureaus without you filing anything in court.
- If the other parent owes more than a certain amount (the threshold changes yearly), the case may move to criminal prosecution, but you do not control that decision.
- Reporting non-payment does not may provide when ready payment, but it starts the enforcement process and creates an official record of the debt.
What happens after you report non-payment
Once you report the missed payment, the Attorney General's office reviews your case file and decides what enforcement action to take. They do not wait for your permission — they have the power to act on their own. Common actions include intercepting tax refunds, suspending the other parent's driver's license, placing a lien on property, and reporting the debt to credit agencies.
The Attorney General can also request that the court hold the other parent in contempt of court, which can result in jail time if the parent has the ability to pay but refuses. This is a civil contempt action, not a criminal charge, and the goal is to force payment rather than to punish.
You will receive notice of what action the Attorney General takes, but the timeline varies. Some actions happen within weeks; others take months. If the other parent owes a large amount or has a pattern of non-payment, the case may be referred to the District Attorney for criminal prosecution, though this is less common.
Documents you need to have ready
Before you call or visit the Attorney General's office, gather what you have. At minimum, you need the case number from your original child support order, or the other parent's full name and date of birth. The office can locate your case with either piece of information.
It also helps to have the amount owed and the dates of the missed payments. If you receive payments through the state's payment system (the Child Support Centralized Receipting and Disbursement System, or CCRDS), you can log in online to see your payment history and print a statement showing which payments were missed. This document strengthens your report.
If you have a copy of the original court order, bring that too. It shows the amount owed each month and helps the Attorney General's office confirm the debt. You do not need a lawyer to gather these documents or to present them.
How to find your regional office
The Texas Attorney General's website has a regional office locator. Go to the Child Support Division page, find the office map or list, and identify which region covers your county. Each office has a phone number, mailing address, and sometimes an email contact.
You can also call the statewide child support hotline at 1-800-252-8014. This line can direct you to your regional office and answer basic questions about your case. Have your case number or the other parent's information ready when you call.
If you prefer to report in person, most regional offices accept walk-ins during business hours, though calling ahead is usually faster. Some offices also accept reports by mail, though mail takes longer to process.
What non-payment means in Texas law
Non-payment means the other parent missed one or more child support payments that were due under the court order. A payment is considered late if it arrives after the due date shown in the order. If the order says payment is due on the first of each month and it arrives on the third, that is technically late, though the Attorney General usually focuses on payments that are significantly overdue.
The other parent does not have to be months behind for you to report. You can report a single missed payment. However, the Attorney General's office prioritizes cases with larger arrears or a pattern of missed payments, so enforcement may move faster if multiple payments are owed.
If the other parent claims they cannot pay because of job loss or hardship, they can request a modification of the order through the court. Non-payment is not the same as a legal change to the order. The other parent must go to court to change the amount owed; straightforward not paying does not reduce the debt.
When the other parent lives out of state
If the other parent lives in another state, you still report to the Texas Attorney General's office. Texas uses the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act (UIFSA) to enforce orders across state lines. The Texas office will contact the other state's child support agency and request enforcement there.
This process takes longer than in-state enforcement because it involves two state agencies. The other state's agency must locate the parent, serve them with notice, and take action. You may not see results for several months, but the process is free and does not require you to hire a lawyer in the other state.
If the other parent moves states after you report, notify the Attorney General's office. They update the case and coordinate with the new state's agency. Keep the office informed of any address changes you learn about.
What you cannot do on your own
You cannot garnish the other parent's wages, seize their property, or suspend their license yourself. These are actions only the Attorney General's office or a court can take. If you try to collect payment on your own — for example, by taking money or property without a court order — you could face criminal charges.
You also cannot change the child support order on your own. If you believe the amount owed should be different because of a change in the other parent's income or your circumstances, you must file a modification request with the court. The Attorney General's office can help you file this, or you can hire a lawyer, or you can file it yourself.
Do not accept informal payment agreements that bypass the court order. If the other parent offers to pay a different amount or on a different schedule, that does not change what they legally owe. Any change to the order must go through the court.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take for the Attorney General to enforce after I report?
There is no set timeline. Some enforcement actions, like tax refund intercepts, happen automatically once a year. Others, like wage garnishment, may take weeks or months to set up. If the case goes to court for contempt, that can take several months. The Attorney General will notify you of actions taken, but you should not expect when ready payment.
What if the other parent says they cannot afford to pay?
They must request a modification of the order through the court, not straightforward stop paying. The Attorney General's office will still enforce the current order while a modification case is pending. If the court later finds they have a valid reason for reduced income, the order can be changed going forward, but arrears (past-due amounts) are usually still owed.
Can I report non-payment if I am receiving TANF or other government benefits?
Yes, but the state may keep some or all of the collected child support to reimburse itself for benefits paid. If you are receiving TANF (Temporary information for Needy Families), the state is the legal party to the child support case, and collections go to the state first. You should still report non-payment; the Attorney General will enforce regardless.
What if the other parent is in jail or has no income?
Report the non-payment anyway. The Attorney General's office will investigate the other parent's situation. If they truly have no income and no assets, enforcement options are limited, but the debt still exists and can be collected later if their situation changes. The arrears do not disappear.
Do I need a lawyer to report non-payment?
No. The Attorney General's office handles enforcement for free, and you can report non-payment by phone without a lawyer. If the case becomes complicated — for example, if the other parent contests the debt or if you need to modify the order — you may want legal help, but reporting itself requires no lawyer.