Editing Child support (section)

===Distribution and payment===
Child-support payments are distributed in a variety of ways. In cases where an obligor is liable for specific expenses such as school tuition, they may pay them directly instead of through the obligee.<ref name="Child support agreement"/>

In some jurisdictions,<ref name="support">{{cite book|author=Joseph B. Downs|title=Child Support in Orange County|url=http://familylawoc.com/practice-areas/child-support/|access-date=25 March 2014|date=March 2014|publisher=Family Law OC|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140325211127/http://familylawoc.com/practice-areas/child-support/|archive-date=25 March 2014}}</ref> obligors (paying parents) are required to remit their payments to the governing federal or state child-support enforcement agency ([[State Disbursement Unit]]). The payments are recorded, any portion required to reimburse the government is subtracted, and then the remainder is passed on to the obligee (receiving parent), either through direct deposit or checks.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://jfs.ohio.gov/Ocs/employers/cspc.stm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071231013543/http://jfs.ohio.gov/Ocs/employers/cspc.stm|url-status=dead|title=State of Ohio Office of Child Support|archive-date=December 31, 2007}}</ref><ref>[http://hawaii.gov/ag/csea/main/cs_payment_options/ Child support payment options] Hawaii Attorney General</ref><ref>[http://www.csa.gov.au/payee/payment-options.aspx Payment options] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080610075433/http://www.csa.gov.au/payee/payment-options.aspx |date=2008-06-10 }} Child Support Agency Australia</ref><ref>[http://www.westerncape.gov.za/eng/directories/services/11575/17467 Enforcing a maintenance order] Western Cape Information Service, South Africa</ref>

The first payee for child support depends on the current welfare status of the payee. For example, if the obligee is currently receiving a monthly check from the government, all current support collected during said month is paid to the government to reimburse the monies paid to the obligee. Regarding families formerly on assistance, current support is paid to the family first, and only after said support is received, the government may then collect additional payments to reimburse itself for previously paid assistance to the obligee (receiving parent). See 42 USC 657: "(A) Current Support Payments: To the extent that the amount so collected does not exceed the amount required to be paid to the family for the month in which collected, the State shall distribute the amount so collected to the family.".<ref>[https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/42/657- § 657. Distribution of collected support] Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act</ref>

Within the United States, a 2007 study conducted through the University of Baltimore estimates that 50% of all child-support arrears are owed to the government to reimburse welfare expenses. Half of U.S. states pass along none of the child support they collect to low-income families receiving welfare and other assistance, instead reimbursing themselves and the federal government. Most of the rest only pass along $50.00 per month. The bipartisan 2006 Deficit Reduction Act and other measures have sought to reduce the amount of money claimed by the government and to ensure that more funds are accessible by children and families, noting that more obligors (paying parents) are willing to pay child support when their children directly benefit from payments.<ref>{{cite news |title=Mothers Scrimp as States Take Child Support |newspaper=New York Times |access-date=2007-12-04 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/01/us/01child.html?_r=1&ref=us&oref=slogin |author=Erik Eckholm | date=2007-12-01}}</ref>

Most U.S. states deliver child-support benefits through [[direct deposit]], but many states make payments to [[unbanked|recipients who do not have a bank account]] through a [[prepaid debit card]]. State use of prepaid cards has helped increase the popularity of federal benefit debit cards, such as the Direct Express Debit [[MasterCard]] [[prepaid debit card]] offered by [[MasterCard]], [[Visa Inc.|Visa]], Chase,<ref>{{cite web|title=Child Support Debit Card (NC Kids Card) Frequently Asked Questions|url=http://www.ncchildsupport.com/DebitCardFAQ.pdf|work=ncchildsupport.com|publisher=North Carolina Dept of Health and Human Services|access-date=22 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611184017/http://www.ncchildsupport.com/DebitCardFAQ.pdf|archive-date=11 June 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[Comerica Bank]].{{Citation needed|date=February 2014}}