PM 08-01-07-f
Entering Child Support Payments - Intake in IES
When determining eligibility for the First 30 Days Test or the Initial Prorated Entitlement (IPE) benefit amount, enter the amount of child support received (after subtracting the disregard), as unearned income, on the Cash/IPE/First 30 day Details page in IES Data Collection. This details page is located in left navigation under Expenses. Note this manual calculation in case notes.
Example 1: Ms. T is applying for TANF Cash for herself and her two children. She receives $280 in child support monthly from the children's father. Enter $80 ($280 - $200) unearned income on both the First 30 Day section and the IPE section of the Cash/IPE/First 30 day details page.
To budget child support to be received in the first regular roll month, enter the total amount of child support income received. Enter this income in the Gross Pay Amount field of the Unearned Income - Details screen, located in Left Navigation under Income. IES will automatically subtract the pass through from the child support income.
Example 2: Ms. X is applying for TANF Cash for herself and her child. She receives $125 in child support monthly from the child's father. Enter $25 ($125 - $100) unearned income on both the First 30 Day section and the IPE section of the Cash/IPE/First 30 day details page.
Entering Child Support Payments- Active Case in ACM
When adding or making a change in the amount of child support received using ACM, enter the total amount received as code 544 in Item 90. ACM will deduct the $100 or $200 pass through deduction when calculating the monthly benefit. Do not add more than one 544 code to the case. If more than one child support payment is coming in for different children on the case, include all payments in one 544 code.
Excess Child Support Payment When a Client is Employed
Use Item 90 code 542 to budget excess child support for the next payment month that can be affected. Use the date Form 1967 is received in the Family Community Resource Center to determine the next payment month.
For example, Form 1967 is received in the local office on 01/10/2017. Terminal cut-off for 02/17 is 01/15/2017. The next payment month that can be affected is 02/17. Set a control to delete code 542 for 03/17.
If budgeting the excess child support results in a zero grant, use zero grant reason 8 in Item 34 of Form 552.
For SNAP, use the total amount of the excess child support when determining SNAP benefits. In the example 1, code 542 = $280 with a source code of 9.
For TANF, allow a 3/4 Work Pays income deduction from excess child support when a client is employed (code 801 or 802 code present in Item 90) when budgeting for the next payment month that can be affected.
Example: Ms. L receives TANF for herself and her child. Her TANF payment level is $318. She has $200 in earned income for March 2019. She receives a $100 child support pass through payment in March 2019. She receives an excess child support payment of $100 in March 2019. Ms. L's TANF benefit amount for March 2019 is determined as follows:
$ 318 Payment Level ( Group 1 County - 1 Adult, 1 Child)
(-) $50 budgetable earned income ($200 minus the 3/4 Work Pays deduction),
(-) $25 budgetable excess child support ($100 minus the 3/4 Work Pays deduction,
= $243 TANF grant ($318 payment level minus $75 budgetable income)
Budget prospectively for the next payment month using code 542 in Item 90 of the Form 552.
If the client is not employed, do not give the 3/4 Work Pays income deduction to the excess child support payment.
