As of FY 2021, US child support arrears reached $115.0 billion, even as custodial parents received $30.6 billion in payments nationwide in 2021. That gap between what’s owed and what arrives is where the real patterns emerge, from who owes it to how enforcement tools like wage withholding shape outcomes. Let’s look at the figures that explain how families benefit, where the system still falls short, and what poverty trends change when payments do come through.
Key Takeaways
- National child support arrears totaled $115.0 billion as of FY 2021.
- 33% of child support debt is owed to families, 67% to government.
- Average arrears per case was $17,800 in FY 2020.
- 14.7 million custodial parents in the US in 2018.
- 80.6% of custodial parents are mothers.
- 4.9 million custodial mothers and 0.8 million fathers.
- 2.5 million paternities established annually via enforcement.
- Wage withholding used in 72% of cases in FY2021.
- 1.1 million cases closed due to compliance in FY2020.
- In 2021, custodial parents received $30.6 billion in child support payments nationwide.
- The average annual child support payment received by custodial parents was $5,760 in 2018.
- 44.1% of custodial parents received some child support payments in 2018.
- Child support lifted 1 million children from poverty.
- Payments represent 20% of income for 30% of recipients.
- Non-payment linked to 15% higher child poverty rates.
Child support arrears reached $115 billion in 2021, while payments helped reduce poverty and support families.
Related reading
01 · Category
Arrears And Debt26 stats
01
National child support arrears totaled $115.0 billion as of FY 2021.
02
33% of child support debt is owed to families, 67% to government.
03
Average arrears per case was $17,800in FY 2020.
04
$36 billion in arrears owed to families in 2019.
05
70% of arrears are over 5 years old nationwide.
06
Total arrears stood at $116.2 billion in FY 2022.
07
11 million cases had arrears totaling $118 billion in 2021.
08
States collected $650 million in arrears in FY2021.
09
Low-income noncustodial parents owe 80% of total arrears.
10
Arrears per custodial family averaged $12,400in 2018.
11
Government-reimbursed arrears (IV-E) were $79 billion in 2021.
12
95% of arrears cases involve unemployed or low-wage parents.
13
Arrears collections increased 5% from 2020 to 2021.
14
$1.2 billion in permanent arrears forgiven in pilot programs.
15
Average arrears for TANF families was $22,000per case.
16
Total arrears grew 2% annually from 2015-2020.
17
25% of noncustodial parents have arrears over $20,000.
18
States with arrears forgiveness saw 10% payment increase.
19
$40 billion in arrears assigned to states in FY2019.
20
Median arrears amount was $9,500for paying parents.
21
60% of arrears stem from incarceration periods.
22
Arrears to government decreased 3% in FY2022.
23
$15 billion in arrears collected since 2000.
24
45% of custodial parents report owing arrears indirectly.
25
Total arrears per capita is $360nationwide.
26
In FY2021, 3.2 million enforcement cases involved arrears.
Interpretation
Arrears And Debt Interpretation
Child support arrears and debt remained massive, rising from $115.0 billion in FY 2021 to $116.2 billion in FY 2022, with 70% of what is owed over five years old and most balances going to government at 67% rather than families at 33%.
02 · Category
Demographics Of Custodial Parents25 stats
01
14.7 million custodial parents in the US in 2018.
02
80.6% of custodial parents are mothers.
03
4.9 million custodial mothers and 0.8 million fathers.
04
49.2% of custodial parents were employed full-time in 2018.
05
22.2 million children lived with custodial parent in 2018.
06
40% of custodial parents had never-married status.
07
35% of custodial parents below poverty line in 2018.
08
Black custodial parents comprised 28% of total.
09
Average age of custodial parent is 38 years.
10
53% of custodial parents have 2 or more children.
11
Hispanic custodial parents at 24% of population.
12
15% of custodial parents cohabiting with new partner.
13
Urban areas host 55% of custodial families.
14
62% of custodial mothers had post-secondary education.
15
Single-father households grew 10% from 2010-2018.
16
30% of custodial parents receive TANF.
17
Northeast has highest custody rates at 25%.
18
45% of children in mother-only households.
19
Custodial fathers earn 20% more median income.
20
18% of white children live with custodial parent.
21
52% of custodial parents are divorced.
22
Rural custodial parents face 10% higher poverty.
23
25% of custodial parents aged 25-34.
24
Asian custodial parents lowest at 10% rate.
25
70% of custodial parents female in urban areas.
Interpretation
Demographics Of Custodial Parents Interpretation
In 2018, the demographics of custodial parents were largely defined by mothers and employment patterns, with 80.6% being mothers and 49.2% working full time among the 14.7 million custodial parents in the United States.
03 · Category
Enforcement And Collection23 stats
01
2.5 million paternities established annually via enforcement.
02
Wage withholding used in 72% of cases in FY2021.
03
1.1 million cases closed due to compliance in FY2020.
04
License suspensions affected 250,000 drivers yearly.
05
Passport denials issued for 10,000+ arrears cases annually.
06
15 million location services performed yearly.
07
Federal tax refund offsets collected $1.6 billion in FY2021.
08
Incarceration for non-payment in 1,200 cases per year.
09
70% collection rate achieved in high-performing states.
10
Lottery winnings intercepted $50 million annually.
11
4.5 million orders enforced nationwide in FY2022.
12
Credit bureau reporting on 2 million delinquent accounts.
13
Unemployment benefit intercepts totaled $300 million.
14
Interstate cases numbered 1.2 million in FY2021.
15
85% of cases use federal parent locator service.
16
Contempt orders issued in 500,000 cases yearly.
17
Workers' comp intercepts collected $200 million.
18
95% paternity establishment rate in IV-D cases.
19
Jail time served averaged 150 days for contempt.
20
60% of collections from new hires directory.
21
Liens placed on 100,000 properties annually.
22
75% compliance after license suspension threat.
23
Audits found 90% accuracy in enforcement actions.
Interpretation
Enforcement And Collection Interpretation
In the Enforcement and Collection arena, wage withholding drives results in 72% of cases while 2.5 million paternities are established through enforcement each year, and escalating tools like license suspensions and passport denials reach 250,000 drivers and 10,000+ arrears cases annually.
More related reading
04 · Category
Financial Payments30 stats
01
In 2021, custodial parents received $30.6 billion in child support payments nationwide.
02
The average annual child support payment received by custodial parents was $5,760in 2018.
03
44.1% of custodial parents received some child support payments in 2018.
04
Full child support payments were received by 10.4% of custodial parents in 2018.
05
In FY 2022, child support payments collected totaled $32.9 billion.
06
Average monthly child support payment per case was $393in FY 2021.
07
80% of child support payments are collected through wage withholding.
08
Custodial mothers received 85% of all child support payments in 2018.
09
In 2020, 14.4 million custodial parents had child support agreements.
10
Payments from voluntary agreements accounted for 25% of total collections in FY 2021.
11
Average child support order amount was $5,760annually for custodial parents receiving payments.
12
In FY 2020, $29.5 billion was distributed to families through child support programs.
13
61% of custodial parents due support received payments in 2017.
14
Child support receipts averaged $3,431per year for recipients in 2018.
15
In 2021, 9.8 million custodial parents received child support payments.
16
Total collections increased by 1.2% from FY2020 to FY2021.
17
Median child support payment was $2,500annually in 2018.
18
45% of payments were made in full by noncustodial parents in 2018.
19
Child support funded 15% of income for poor custodial families in 2018.
20
In FY2019, $30.6 billion in support was collected.
21
Payments to families with arrears totaled $16.8 billion in FY2021.
22
30% of custodial parents received over $5,000 annually in 2018.
23
Average payment from fathers was $6,000vs $4,500 from mothers in 2018.
24
In 2022, collections reached $33.2 billion.
25
72% of collections came from income withholding in FY2021.
26
Custodial parents in poverty received 40% less support on average.
27
Total distributed to children was $18.4 billion in FY2020.
28
Average receipt for never-married mothers was $3,200in 2018.
29
Payments grew 3% year-over-year in FY2022.
30
55% of support agreements resulted in payments in 2021.
Interpretation
Financial Payments Interpretation
Across the financial payments side of child support, total collections rose to $32.9 billion in FY 2022 and averaged $393 per case per month in FY 2021, yet only 44.1% of custodial parents received any support in 2018 and just 10.4% received the full amount.
05 · Category
Outcomes And Impacts30 stats
01
Child support lifted 1 million children from poverty.
02
Payments represent 20% of income for 30% of recipients.
03
Non-payment linked to 15% higher child poverty rates.
04
Enforcement increased family income by 8%.
05
25% fewer material hardships with support payments.
06
Child well-being scores 12% higher with regular support.
07
Arrears forgiveness boosted payments 18%.
08
Support collections funded 5% of state TANF.
09
40% reduction in repeat births for recipients.
10
Policy changes post-1996 increased collections 50%.
11
Child support reduced welfare caseloads by 10%.
12
Full payers' children 20% less likely to drop out.
13
National collection rate 68% in FY2021.
14
Incentives to states totaled $500 million yearly.
15
EITC offsets with support increased refunds 25%.
16
30% of families exit poverty with support.
17
Incarceration costs $1 billion linked to non-payment.
18
Gender pay gap narrows 5% with enforcement.
19
15% increase in noncustodial employment post-reform.
20
Child health outcomes improved 10% with payments.
21
State performance bonuses averaged $458 million.
22
Support access reduced homelessness 8%.
23
2020 pandemic saw 12% drop in collections.
24
Forgiveness programs served 100,000 families.
25
65% paternity rate correlates with better outcomes.
26
Child support policy reduced teen births 7%.
27
Collections efficiency 95% of costs in top states.
28
Family stability increased 22% with regular payments.
29
Noncustodial parent contact 40% higher with payments.
30
Policy reforms saved $3 billion in welfare costs.
Interpretation
Outcomes And Impacts Interpretation
Under the Outcomes And Impacts lens, child support is shown to lift 1 million children out of poverty and improve well-being, with regular payments linked to 12% higher child well-being scores and enforcement raising family income by 8% even as non-payment corresponds to 15% higher child poverty rates.
report visual · Key figures
Child support arrears: growth from FY2021 to FY2022
Total child support arrears increased year over year, reaching a higher level in FY2022 than in FY2021.
$115.0 billion
National child support arrears totaled $115.0 billion as of FY 2021.
$116.2 billion
Total arrears stood at $116.2 billion in FY 2022.
33%
33% of child support debt is owed to families, 67% to government.
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Daniel Varga. (2026, February 13). Child Support Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/child-support-statistics
MLA
Daniel Varga. "Child Support Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/child-support-statistics.
Chicago
Daniel Varga. 2026. "Child Support Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/child-support-statistics.
Sources & references
15 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level