LANSING, Mich. — If you owe child support, don't expect your full stimulus check. Just like with federal tax refunds, the state announced Friday, that past-due child support will be collected from your stimulus check.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services said its a federal requirement. Stimulus payments to parents without child custody who owe child support will automatically be directed to the parent with child custody. Their stimulus payments could be reduced or garnished altogether.
“The Office of Child Support wants to make sure parents understand what is happening with stimulus payments to people who owe child support,” said Office of Child Support Director Erin Frisch.
The funds will then go to the MDHHS Office of Child Support to be applied to the child support debt owed – as required by the CARES Act.
Funds will be distributed to the custodial parent or guardian in the same way the Office of Child Support distributes all yearly federal income tax refunds that are intercepted.
The Office of Child Support said it does not know how much Michigan will receive from the IRS, but expects to receive weekly payments until the stimulus payments discontinue.
Families will begin receiving the intercepted stimulus payments next week.
Earlier this week, MDHHS said money from the stimulus payments would not affect eligibility for public assistance benefits, such as SNAP, Medicaid or WIC. The checks will not reduce the amount of public assistance benefits that anyone receives.
The stimulus checks can't be garnished, but they are not protected from private debt collectors or banks. The CARES Act explicitly prevents federal or state governments from withholding money for almost all kinds of debt, barring back child support, but within the bill there is no mention of private debt collectors or banks.
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