Arizona Child Support Office

DCSS is Arizona's IV-D agency, administered statewide through DES rather than by county. It locates noncustodial parents, establishes paternity and support orders, and collects and enforces payments once a case is open.

Case management runs through the AZCARES online portal, which replaced older paper-based processes and lets both parents track a case, view payment history, and update information without visiting an office.

A parent or caretaker of a child can apply for DCSS services through the AZCARES portal. Families already receiving TANF or Medicaid in Arizona are typically referred for services automatically.

The application asks for identifying information for both parents and the child, along with any existing custody or support documentation. If paternity hasn't been established, DCSS handles that before a support order can be set through the courts or Arizona's administrative process.

Arizona collects most support through income withholding once an order is active, with payments processed through the state's payment gateway and disbursed to the receiving parent by direct deposit or debit card.

Parents can log in to AZCARES to check payment history and case status at any time, and payments can also be made online through the state's official payment gateway for parents not on standard wage withholding.

When a parent falls behind, DCSS can intercept state and federal tax refunds, suspend licenses, and report the debt to credit bureaus.

As in every state, federal law allows a passport to be denied or revoked once past-due support exceeds $2,500. DCSS's site also includes a page for reporting suspected fraud tied to a case.