A limited-time program called Pay It Off may help you lower the amount you owe in child support.
Offered from October 17, 2022 to October 31, 2022, Pay It Off doubles the value of the payment (up to the amount you owe) that you make toward child support debt that is permanently owed to the New York City Department of Social Services (NYC DSS). When you make a minimum payment of $500, OCSS will match that amount to reduce your debt owed to DSS.
If your court order is actively charging, you must first pay the total amount of your most recent current support court ordered obligation that is due in October, if that has not yet been satisfied. The amount taken to pay current support will not be matched. If the remainder no longer exceeds $500, it will not be matched based on the Pay It Off criteria.
More than 3,000 noncustodial parents have participated in a Pay It Off program to reduce $16 million of debt owed to the NYC Department of Social Services (DSS). The average debt reduction per case is $5,558. Don’t miss this opportunity to lower or eliminate your DSS child support debt!
Watch a detailed video on how the Pay It Off works: https://youtu.be/svHffhYKNEs.
Submit the completed and signed agreement between October 17 – 31 either by email, mail, or in person. A separate agreement is required per case to receive a credit.
Email: dcse.cseweb@dfa.state.ny.us, subject “Pay It Off”
Mail to:
OCSS - Pay It Off
PO Box 830
Canal Street Station
New York, NY 10013
In person:
OCSS Customer Service Walk-In Center
151 West Broadway, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10013
Business Hours: Mon - Fri, 8 AM - 7 PM (except holidays and weekends)
Download the agreement here: English | Español | 繁體中文 | 简体中文 | Русский | العربية | Kreyòl Ayisyen | 한국어 | বাংলা | اردو | Polski | Français
OCSS will send you a summary of action taken 4 to 5 weeks after the agreement and payment are received.
Receive a one-time $1,000 debt reduction for applying for ACP in October 2022.
Pay your monthly court ordered obligation and get $5,000 off your DSS debt at the end of 12 months. Stay in the program for three years and get a total of $15,000 taken off your DSS debt. See details at nyc.gov/ocss-debt-reduction.
If you pay off the principle on your money judgment payable to NYC DSS, your interest will be eliminated.
Note: To be eligible for Pay It Off, noncustodial parents must have debt that is permanently owed to the NYC Department of Social Services (NYC DSS). See FAQ #3 for more information.
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1. How does this program work?
From October 17, 2022 through October 31, 2022 make a minimum payment of $500 towards debt that is permanently owed to the NYC DSS and sign and submit the Pay It Off agreement. OCSS will then match your payment by reducing your debt by the same amount (up to the amount you owe). Here is an example:
Example | Pay It Off payment made between October 17 and October 31, 2022 | $600 |
Plus(+) | Matched amount | $600 |
Total (=) | Total applied to reduce child support debt | $1,200 |
From October 17, 2022 through October 31, 2022 make a minimum payment of $500 towards debt that is permanently owed to the NYC DSS and sign and submit the Pay It Off agreement. OCSS will then match your payment by reducing your debt by the same amount (up to the amount you owe). Here is an example:
Example | Pay It Off payment made between October 17 and October 31, 2022 | $600 |
Minus (-) | Total current court ordered support obligation in October | $100 |
Equals (=) | Remaining amount | $500 |
Plus (+) | Matched amount | $500 |
Total (=) | Total applied to reduce child support debt | $1,000 |
2. What do you mean by debt permanently owed to the NYC Department of Social Services (DSS)?
It is Child Support debt owed to DSS when a child is on Cash Assistance or if a child is in Foster Care and the noncustodial parent falls behind on making the payments toward the court order.
3. How can I pay?
Whichever way you decide to pay, we cannot match a payment without having received a signed Pay It Off Agreement. A separate Agreement is required per case to receive a credit.
There are three ways to pay:
NOTE: Payments collected through a garnishment (such as Unemployment Insurance and paycheck garnishment), seizure, or tax intercept will not be matched. Also, current child support (the amount the court order says must be paid monthly) gets paid first with the payment you make.
4. Why don’t I qualify for the program if I only owe debt to the custodial parent and not to DSS?
We only have the authority to reduce debt that is owed to the government/DSS.
To participate in Pay It Off, you must have a minimum of $500 in child support debt permanently assigned to the NYC DSS. You will receive the full match, if you owe at least $1,000 because if you only owe $500 and pay the full $500 there is no match. If you only have unassigned debt or debts owed to the custodial parent, you cannot participate.
Participation in a mediation program may spur conversation with the custodial parent to consider reducing debt owed to them. Refer to the Mediation Services flyer on our website:
bit.ly/MediationBrochure
5. What if I can’t pay a minimum of $500?
This particular program requires that you pay a minimum of $500 toward arrears to take advantage of the time limited offer.
However, making any payment toward your child support debt would benefit you in other ways. You may be able to avoid other enforcement actions where applicable. You can also sign up for our Arrears Credit Program, which requires only that you pay your court ordered monthly child support obligation. You can find out more about this program by reading FAQ #7 below.
6. What is the Arrears Credit Program?
The Arrears Credit Program allows you to qualify for up to $5,000 credit toward permanently-assigned DSS arrears after consistently paying your court ordered obligation amount in full for one full year beginning on the day that you sign the Arrears Credit Program agreement. You may qualify for up to 3 years and earn a credit of up to $15,000 in total.
If you enroll in the Arrears Credit Program at the same time you sign up for Pay It Off and are found eligible, you qualify for an additional reduction of up to $1,000 in debt owed to the NYC government/DSS.
Here is an example:
Example | Pay It Off payment made between October 17 and October 31, 2022 | $600 |
Minus (-) | Total current support or monthly obligation in October | $100 |
Equals (=) | Remaining amount | $500 |
Plus (+) | Matched amount | $500 |
Plus (+) | Signed Arrears Cap Agreement | $1,000 |
Total (=) | Total applied to reduce child support debt | $2,000 |
Plus (+) | In Oct 2023 if all child support payments were made | $5,000 |
Plus (+) | In Oct 2024 if all child support payments were made | $5,000 |
Plus (+) | In Oct 2025 if all child support payments were made | $5,000 |
Total (=) | Total applied to reduce DSS debt | $17,000 |
For noncustodial parents with multiple accounts, additional credits may be applied to each individual account as appropriate.
7. Does this mean that I get an additional $5,000 reduced in arrears if I sign up for the Arrears Credit program when I sign up for Pay It Off?
No. It takes a year’s worth of consistent and full current child support payments to receive the $5,000 credit that you can qualify for through the Arrears Credit Program. That year begins on the day that you sign the Arrears Credit Program agreement. You may qualify for up to 3 years and earn a credit of up to $15,000 in total. See example in FAQ #7 above.
You will get an additional bonus debt reduction of up to $1,000 for signing up at the same time as Pay It Off.
8. Can I make more than one payment between October 17 and October 31, 2022? For example, if I pay $1,000 in the 1st week of the program and in the second week of the program, I can come up with another $1,000, could I make two payments?
Yes, you can make more than one payment between October 17 and October 31, 2022 as long as the payments post to your account by the program end date which is October 31, 2022, they are more than $500 each, and you sign and sent an agreement per payment by the program end date.
9. How do I submit the Pay It Off Agreement and/or the Arrears Credit Program application?
To begin,
You can download the Arrears Credit Program application at nyc.gov/ocss-debt-reduction. Submit it as noted above along with the Pay It Off application.
10. What if I submit my payment(s) only and do not complete an agreement?
You will not qualify for the Pay It Off match without a signed agreement. You must complete, sign and return the agreement before October 31, 2022. See FAQ #10.
11. How much do I owe in debt?
Contact OCSS to find out your account balance:
12. If I pay $500, how much will be credited toward my debt?
That will depend on your specific case. For example, if you pay $500, your debt could be reduced as much as $1,000 up to the amount that you owe. The example in FAQs #2 and #7 may be helpful.
13. Who gets the money if I owe debt to both DSS and the custodial parent?
The money will be distributed in accordance with federal distribution rules. To learn more about the details of your case, you can:
14. If I owe money to another state or another county, am I still eligible for the program?
No, the match for this program is limited to money owed to the NYC government/Department of Social Services.
15. Am I eligible to participate in the Pay It Off Program this year if I participated in previous years?
Yes.
16. What if I have a money judgment with interest payable to DSS?
If the money judgment principle owed to DSS without interest is paid in full, then OCSS will also eliminate all the interest owed to DSS.
The Pay It Off Flyer explains what forms of payment we accept and how to pay:
See the Pay It Off FAQs below to learn more:
Email us at dcse.cseweb@dfa.state.ny.us. Put “Pay It Off” in the subject line of your email. Be sure to include your name and child support case number in the email along with your question(s).
You can also visit us at 151 W. Broadway, 4th floor, New York, New York, 10013 from Monday to Friday between 8 am and 7 pm (except holidays).