Behind on child support in Wisconsin: what to do
Checked against official sources: Oct 25, 2026
In Wisconsin:
- Interest on past-due support
- 0.5% per month (6% a year) on past-due support, starting when the past-due amount equals or exceeds one month's support.
- License suspension
- A lien amount equal to or greater than 300% of the monthly support due or $1,000, whichever is greater, with no alternative payment plan in place.
- Do this now
- Pay what you can on every due date, even if it is less than the full amount, and keep proof of each payment.
Past-due child support doesn't go away and can't be lowered later: each missed payment becomes a debt on the day it is due. What you can change is the future amount, so if your income dropped, ask for a review of the order right away.
More about this
The state can collect the debt from your paycheck, tax refunds and bank accounts, suspend licenses and deny a passport, and many states add interest; paying what you can and talking to the agency early usually leaves more options open.
General legal information, not legal advice. RobinClaim is not a law firm.
Build your plan
Choose your state and answer 3 quick questions. The plan below changes as you answer: steps that don't fit your answers are hidden, and your state's deadlines appear. Your answers stay in the page address.
Your plan for Wisconsin
Do now
If your income went down, ask for a review of your order today: in writing to the child support agency, or with a motion or petition in the court that made the order.
Why: A change usually counts only from the date the other parent gets notice of your request; the months before that can't be lowered.
Pay what you can on every due date, even if it is less than the full amount, and keep proof of each payment.
Why: Every unpaid amount stays a debt, and many states add interest; partial payments lower what builds up.
Call the child support agency (or your caseworker) and ask what you owe, how it was counted, and whether you can make a payment agreement.
Why: The agency can explain the balance and the steps it is taking, and in many states a payment agreement can stop or lift a license suspension.
If you have a court date or a contempt notice, go, and bring proof of your income, your job search and the payments you made.
Why: A judge can order jail, fines or a payment plan for willful non-payment; your proof shows what you can and can't pay.
Nothing extra here for your answers.
This week
Check that no more is taken from your pay than federal law allows: up to 50% of take-home pay if you support another spouse or child, 60% if not, plus 5% more if you are more than 12 weeks behind.
Why: These are the federal limits for support withholding (15 U.S.C. 1673(b)); ask the agency to fix a mistake.
If you got a license suspension notice, ask the agency how to get the license back, for example by making a payment agreement, and read your state's rule.
Why: States suspend driver's, professional and recreational licenses for past-due support, and their rules say when it can be lifted.
Know that a passport can be refused when you owe more than $2,500 in past-due support; ask the agency what you must pay or agree to before a passport can be issued.
Why: Federal law (42 U.S.C. 652(k)) sets the $2,500 passport rule, based on the state agency's certification of the debt.
Expect federal tax refunds to be taken for past-due support until the debt is paid.
Why: The federal tax refund offset applies to past-due support certified by the state (42 U.S.C. 664).
Read your state's rules on interest and license suspension below.
Interest on past-due support
Wisconsin: 0.5% per month (6% a year) on past-due support, starting when the past-due amount equals or exceeds one month's support.
Why: Interest and enforcement thresholds differ by state.
Nothing extra here for your answers.
If it's not resolved
Bankruptcy does not wipe out child support: it is a domestic support obligation that can't be discharged.
Why: 11 U.S.C. 523(a)(5). A lawyer can explain how a Chapter 13 plan treats past-due support.
If you go to jail or prison for more than 180 days, ask for a review of the order right away.
Why: States can't treat time in jail as choosing not to work when setting or changing support (45 CFR 302.56(c)(3)), but the order does not change by itself.
When your income comes back, tell the agency and keep paying; ask the agency whether it has a program to reduce past-due support owed to the state.
Why: Some states have such programs, mostly for support owed to the state for public assistance; the agency will tell you if yours does.
Nothing extra here for your answers.
Deadlines
When a lower amount can start
General rule: Usually only from the date the other parent got notice of your request; past-due support can't be lowered (42 U.S.C. 666(a)(9))
Interest on past-due support
General rule: see state
In Wisconsin:
0.5% per month (6% a year) on past-due support, starting when the past-due amount equals or exceeds one month's support. It is charged even while you pay on the debt, but not on unpaid birth costs or fees. (DCF Collecting Past-Due Child Support)
checked Oct 2026 · From Child Support Map: Wisconsin
License suspension
General rule: see state
In Wisconsin:
A lien amount equal to or greater than 300% of the monthly support due or $1,000, whichever is greater, with no alternative payment plan in place. (DCF License page)
Law: Wis. Stat. ch. 767, 49.22 · checked Oct 2026 · Official source · From Child Support Map: Wisconsin
Passport denial
General rule: When past-due support is more than $2,500 (42 U.S.C. 652(k))
Key facts for Wisconsin
Child Support Map
- How support is figured
- Percentage of income
- Support for 1 child
- 17% of the paying parent's income
- When support usually ends
- 18, or 19 if the child is still enrolled in high school or working…
- Interest on unpaid support
- 6% a year
- Child support agency
- Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF), Bureau of Child Support · 1-800-991-5530
Child Support Map: Wisconsin · checked Oct 2026
Documents to gather
- Your child support order and the case number
- The agency's statement of what you owe (ask for a payment history)
- Proof of every payment you made
- Proof of income: pay stubs, unemployment letters, tax returns
- Any notice about wage withholding, license suspension, a passport or a court date
- Proof of a job search if you are out of work
Letters you can send
Fill in the boxes; the letter updates as you type. When every box is filled, download it as a PDF.
Request for a review and a payment agreement
Ask the child support agency in writing for a review of the order because your income went down, for your payment history, and for a payment agreement on past-due support. Keep a copy: the date you ask can matter.
[Your name] [Your address (where they should reply)] [Your phone or email] [Today's date] [Child support agency name] [Agency's mailing address] Re: Case number [Case number]: request for review, payment history and payment agreement I am the parent ordered to pay support in the case above. The current order is [Current support (per month)] per month. I have fallen behind because my circumstances changed: [What changed] I ask the agency to: 1. review the order and, if appropriate, adjust it under the state's child support guidelines, treating this letter as my request as of the date above; 2. send me a payment history showing what is owed and how it was counted; and 3. tell me how I can make a payment agreement for the past-due amount. I can pay [What you can pay each month toward the past-due amount] per month toward it now. I will keep paying as much as I can on the current order while this is reviewed. Sincerely, [Your name]
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Other formats
Sign it, keep a copy, and send it by certified mail with a return receipt so you can prove it was delivered.
Where to go
- StateYour state child support agency
Your balance, a review of the order, a payment agreement
Wisconsin: Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF), Bureau of Child Support (phone 1-800-991-5530)
- FederalFederal Office of Child Support Services: changing a child support order
Why to ask for a change early, and parents in jail or prison
- LocalThe court that made the order (clerk or self-help center)
A motion to modify, or a contempt hearing
Costs
Asking the agency for a review is part of its services. A court motion may have a filing fee you can ask to waive. Interest on past-due support depends on your state.
Talk to a lawyer if
- You have a contempt hearing or a warrant
- You were told you could face criminal charges for not paying
- You are thinking about bankruptcy
- You believe the balance is wrong or includes payments you made
- You are self-employed or paid in cash and the other parent says you hide income
- You are in jail or prison
Free help
Free legal aid for people with low income: find your local office through the Legal Services Corporation (lsc.gov/about-lsc/what-legal-aid/i-need-legal-help) or LawHelp.org (lawhelp.org). Family court self-help centers have the forms to ask for a change; ask the court clerk. If you face jail for contempt, ask the court whether you can get a lawyer.
Guides for your state
Guides for every state
Questions
When a lower amount can start: what is the rule?
Usually only from the date the other parent got notice of your request; past-due support can't be lowered (42 U.S.C. 666(a)(9))
Interest on past-due support in Wisconsin: what is the rule?
0.5% per month (6% a year) on past-due support, starting when the past-due amount equals or exceeds one month's support. It is charged even while you pay on the debt, but not on unpaid birth costs or fees. (DCF Collecting Past-Due Child Support)
License suspension in Wisconsin: what is the rule?
A lien amount equal to or greater than 300% of the monthly support due or $1,000, whichever is greater, with no alternative payment plan in place. (DCF License page) (Wis. Stat. ch. 767, 49.22)
Passport denial: what is the rule?
When past-due support is more than $2,500 (42 U.S.C. 652(k))
When should I talk to a lawyer?
You have a contempt hearing or a warrant; You were told you could face criminal charges for not paying; You are thinking about bankruptcy; You believe the balance is wrong or includes payments you made; You are self-employed or paid in cash and the other parent says you hide income; You are in jail or prison.
How much does it cost?
Asking the agency for a review is part of its services. A court motion may have a filing fee you can ask to waive. Interest on past-due support depends on your state.
Plans by state
Open the plan with one state's rules filled in:
Sources
- 42 U.S.C. 666(a)(9): each payment a judgment, no retroactive change (GovInfo)
- 15 U.S.C. 1673(b): garnishment limits for support (GovInfo)
- 42 U.S.C. 652(k): passport denial over $2,500 (GovInfo)
- 42 U.S.C. 664: federal tax refund offset (GovInfo)
- 11 U.S.C. 523(a)(5): domestic support obligations not discharged (GovInfo)
- 45 CFR 302.56: incarceration is not voluntary unemployment (eCFR)
- ACF/OCSS: Changing a Child Support Order (PDF)
Plan checked Oct 2026. Independently fact-checked 2026-10-25.
This plan is general legal information, not legal advice. RobinClaim is not a law firm. Laws and deadlines change and have exceptions: check with the official source or a lawyer or legal aid office about your own case. How we research.