{"id":371508,"date":"2019-01-09T12:27:37","date_gmt":"2019-01-09T17:27:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/state\/arizona-law\/arizona-child-support-payment.html"},"modified":"2025-05-27T12:58:50","modified_gmt":"2025-05-27T17:58:50","slug":"arizona-child-support-payment","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/arizona-law\/arizona-child-support-payment.html","title":{"rendered":"Arizona Child Support Payments"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n \n
\n

Arizona Child Support Payments<\/h1>\n
\n
\n By Kit Yona, M.A.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by Jordan Walker, J.D.<\/a>\n | Last updated\n
\n \n <\/i>\n Legally Reviewed\n <\/summary>\n\n
\n

This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

\n \n <\/i>\n Fact-Checked\n <\/summary>\n\n
\n

The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n

In Arizona, child support disbursements are managed by the Division of Child Support Services (DCSS) under the Department of Economic Security. Child support orders require parents to financially support their children until age 18, or 19 if still in high school.<\/p>\r\n

Child support payments are calculated using an income shares model, which considers both parents’ incomes. Arizona enforces court-ordered payments through income withholding, but alternative methods like online or phone payments exist. Non-payment can lead to enforcement actions, ensuring the child’s needs are met.<\/p>\r\n

This article will examine how the state does its best to ensure every child receives the same level of financial support<\/a> they would have if both their parents were raising them under the same roof. Read on to learn about child support payments in Arizona.<\/p>\r\n

Arizona Child Support Payments – Child Support Basics<\/h2>\r\n

The administration of child support by the states became federal law under Title IV-D of the 1975 Social Security Act<\/a>. In any situation where children are not going to be raised in a two-parent household, child support is required. This can result from divorce, child custody hearings, or a birth parent petitioning for child support<\/a> from the other birth parent.<\/p>\r\n

Parents are required to provide for their children until the last day of their 18th birthday month. If the child hasn’t graduated from high school at that age, the obligation extends until the 19th birthday or the child graduates from high school. Emancipation also ends<\/a> all child support requirements. Parenting time affects the amount of child support a parent is obligated to pay.<\/p>\r\n

The process for determining child support payments requires full financial disclosure from both parents. The Arizona child support guidelines<\/a> use an income shares model<\/a> for their calculations<\/a>. This system bases child support payments on the amount of income generated by both parents and how much would have been spent on the children if they were raising them together.<\/p>\r\n

Child support orders are created to meet the needs of the child. These necessities fall into three basic categories<\/a>:<\/p>\r\n