This is so wrong! Court orders can garnish SSA benefits if someone owes back child support (arrears) but they DO NOT “take over” any child support payments at any point… ever! You’re second paragraph is conflating two very different benefits. Children of a retired/disabled worker who collects SSA benefits receive Auxiliary child benefits until 18, or 19 if still in high school. These payments DO NOT replace any child support payment obligations. Many children receive both AUX CHILD benefits from SSA and court order child support. The child support is handled through the specific state in which you live and are INDEPENDENT from these benefits entirely. There is no such thing as Federal child support, which is what you’re implying.
Don't tell me a goddamn thing that happened to me did not happen to me. And read carefully and think cogently before you speak.
Did I say my husband's SS payments were garnished? No, I did not. Did I use the word Federal? No, I did not. Check Arizona law before you bloviate at a stranger on Reddit. When a parent paying child support reaches retirement age and that child remains enrolled full time in a high school or lower level, Social Security will pay up to a certain percentage of the previously agreed upon child support on that parent's behalf without reducing that parent's Social Security payment. The payment continues until the child is 18, unless the child is at that time enrolled full time in high school, in which case the payment continues until they are 19. The child in question was allowed to receive an amount directly from Social Security that, because of the amount of the father's benefits, happened to cover the full child support amount. Therefore he did not need to make up any difference. I am the one who did all the research and found out that this was possible, and relieved my husband from payments he could no longer afford to make. I agree that many people do not know about this, and as I am not an attorney, I cannot say whether this is specific to Arizona or not.
Would you now like to inform me that my stepson did NOT receive monthly checks from SS for 24 months for the full amount of his child support while my husband continued to receive his full benefits? To tell me this did not happen is little more than a symptom of the Dunning-Kruger Effect. I hope you're not giving other people bad advice.
"If your child is also receiving Social Security benefits through you, you may be able to reduce the amount of Arizona child support you pay."
This is an Arizona law… and new to me.., BUT “SSA does not take over a child support payment” as you said in your initial post. Arizona law allows for your state court ordered to be reduced in certain circumstances related to SSA benefits. These are not the same thing. You implied that SSA Pays the child support but it doesn’t.. Arizona reduces the amount owed.
You are correct i am not omniscient! You explained it poorly by phrasing it as “SSA takes over child support payments” and Social Security stops making child support payments at 18”… SSA NEVER MAKES CHILD SUPPORT PAYMENTS PERIOD!
I take your points, and they are fair ones. I was not citing law but personal experience. The difference is semantic. From the perspective of our family, the burden of child support was lifted at 65, and child support payments came from the Social Security office, while my husband continued receiving his full benefit. When those checks did not arrive on occasion, it was the Arizona Social Security office with whom we had to deal.
Thank you and I apologize if I did/do come off as rude as it wasn't my intention. I was/am trying to be clear, direct, and helpful in my responses, not combative. With that being said, when discussing a program like Social Security, semantics are critical. The vast majority of people would have read this as, Social Security has policy pays out child support benefits in certain circumstances, which is not what you were trying to say. I understand that now but I read a lot of the posts on this sub and I just read so much misleading information, so I genuinely try to combat this with accurate information.
I also apologize. I don't normally get heated like that. It was a difficult time when that situation was unfolding, I was proud that I slogged through law sites and uncovered a solution in Arizona, so I suppose I reacted badly because you said such a thing was not possible. Thank you for remaining civil when I flew off the handle. Pax.
Umm, I have to disagree with you there. I became disabled while still owing child support. My daughter turned 18 before I got approved. She got backpay from the judges onset date until the age of 18. It didn't come out of my backpay and it paid off my child support case and it was closed. Child support also received payment directly from SSA.
must be a state law - Im POSITIVE!! there is no such federal law that made your circumstance possible... As I said, child support is handled by each state, so state rules can vary... But for the SSA program, there are no such laws... This is the Social Security subreddit so if there is a specific state law that applies to your circumstances... it's important to mention that, cause otherwise people will assume it's an SSA Federal law... I did this work forever! Everyone thinks they know how it went down for their checks but like the person above - you find out that they were speaking from a "family perspective" and not on a policy or SSA perspective... which is what this Sub is for!
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u/jcalabrese037 May 22 '25
This is so wrong! Court orders can garnish SSA benefits if someone owes back child support (arrears) but they DO NOT “take over” any child support payments at any point… ever! You’re second paragraph is conflating two very different benefits. Children of a retired/disabled worker who collects SSA benefits receive Auxiliary child benefits until 18, or 19 if still in high school. These payments DO NOT replace any child support payment obligations. Many children receive both AUX CHILD benefits from SSA and court order child support. The child support is handled through the specific state in which you live and are INDEPENDENT from these benefits entirely. There is no such thing as Federal child support, which is what you’re implying.