Child support in Eau Claire County runs on Wisconsin’s statewide percentage-of-income formula, administered locally by the Eau Claire County Child Support Agency at 721 Oxford Avenue. Standard orders range from 17% of the paying parent’s income for one child up to 34% for five or more, with adjustments for shared placement, low income, and other circumstances. The agency establishes paternity, obtains and modifies orders through the Circuit Court, processes payments through the state trust fund, and enforces arrears using tools that include wage withholding, tax intercepts, license suspension, and passport denial.
How the Support Amount Is Calculated
Wisconsin Administrative Code Chapter DCF 150 sets the percentages that apply to the paying parent’s monthly income available for child support:1Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Administrative Code DCF 150.03 – Child Support Standard
- One child: 17%
- Two children: 25%
- Three children: 29%
- Four children: 31%
- Five or more children: 34%
“Income available for child support” starts with gross income but is not always identical to it. The Eau Claire County Circuit Court issues the final order, with those percentages as the baseline in nearly every case.
Shared Placement
When both parents have court-ordered placement for at least 25% of the year (92 overnights), a shared-placement formula replaces the straight percentages.2Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. Tools to Estimate Income and Support Amounts It weighs each parent’s income and the number of overnights, so the amount reflects who is actually covering day-to-day costs. The more evenly time is split, the smaller the net payment between parents.
Low-Income Payers
Parents earning below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines use a reduced schedule rather than the standard percentages. If income falls below 75% of the guidelines, the court can set an amount appropriate to the parent’s overall finances, which may be lower than anything on the reduced schedule.3Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Administrative Code DCF 150 – Child Support Standard The point is practical: an order set beyond a parent’s means just produces arrears nobody can collect.
When the Court Deviates From the Standard
Either parent can ask for a different amount if the standard result would be unfair. The court weighs each parent’s financial resources, maintenance payments, child care costs, the child’s health and educational needs, extraordinary travel costs for placement, and each parent’s earning capacity.4Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Statutes 767.511 – Child Support Standard Deviations are not automatic. The parent seeking one must prove the standard result is unfair by the greater weight of the evidence.
Children From More Than One Relationship
Wisconsin’s serial-family rule applies when a parent with an existing support obligation has a new order calculated for children from a later relationship. The court first determines support for the earlier obligation, subtracts that from income, then calculates the new obligation from what remains.5Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Administrative Code DCF 150.035(2) – Serial Family Parent Provision A new obligation is not grounds to reduce an existing one under this rule.
Establishing Paternity First
For unmarried parents, the agency cannot pursue an order against a father until legal paternity exists. Married fathers are presumed to be the legal father. Unmarried parents have four routes:6Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. Establishing Legal Fatherhood (Paternity)
- A Voluntary Paternity Acknowledgment signed by both parents, usually at the hospital. Either parent may withdraw within 60 days of filing, provided no court has yet ruled on a family matter involving the child.
- Genetic testing arranged by the agency. A result of 99% or greater probability establishes legal fatherhood. The agency pays for the test unless the man is confirmed as the father, in which case the parents may be ordered to reimburse the cost.
- A court hearing. If the alleged father disputes paternity or fails to appear, the court can enter a default judgment.
- An acknowledgment of marital child, signed and notarized if the parents marry after the child’s birth.
Beyond money, legal paternity opens the door to Social Security benefits, inheritance rights, and medical history access for the child.
Applying for Child Support Services
The Parent Application for Child Support Services is used statewide and is available on the Eau Claire County website or at the Government Center office.7Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. Parent Application for Child Support Services Your Social Security number or ITIN is mandatory. Leave it off and the application is denied.
The form also asks for the other parent’s name, Social Security number, and employer, plus the children’s names and birth dates. Fill in as much as you can; blank fields are allowed when you genuinely don’t know, but a thin application slows the agency down. You will also report any existing court orders, health insurance coverage, and public assistance you receive.
A $25 application fee applies, with waivers for parents receiving certain benefits including W-2 and federally financed foster care or adoption assistance.8Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. Apply for Child Support Services You can submit by mail or in person during office hours. Once the agency processes the paperwork, you receive a mailed notice with a case number used for all later correspondence and payment tracking.
How Payments Are Made
Every child support payment in Wisconsin has to run through the Wisconsin Support Collections Trust Fund (WI SCTF). Parents cannot pay each other directly and have it count as official support. The trust fund records every dollar, which protects both sides if a dispute arises later.9Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. Ways to Pay Support
Income withholding is the default. State law requires every child support order to include an income withholding provision, whether or not the parent is behind.10Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. Income Withholding Information Support can also be withheld from unemployment, workers’ compensation, pensions, and Social Security Disability.
If you pay on your own, options include online payments from a bank account or by credit or debit card through ExpertPay, MoneyGram, or AllPaid; check or money order mailed to the trust fund at Box 74200, Milwaukee, WI 53274-0200 with your KIDS PIN or Social Security number on the payment; phone payments; and cash at MoneyGram locations.9Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. Ways to Pay Support Fees and processing times vary by method, and some take up to 10 business days to post. If your due date is the first of the month, build in that lead time.
Medical Support Is Separate
A support order does more than set a monthly cash amount. Wisconsin law requires the court to assign responsibility for the child’s health care expenses in every order, looking at existing coverage, what each parent’s employer offers, and what it costs.11Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Statutes 767.513 – Child Health Care Expenses A parent ordered to carry insurance must provide the insurance card to the other parent; refusing is contempt of court. Premiums can be withheld from income like regular support.
Uninsured costs such as copays, deductibles, and expenses insurance doesn’t cover are typically split between the parents. The percentages and the process for reimbursement live in your specific order, so read it before a large dental or therapy bill arrives.
Modifying an Existing Order
Support orders can change, but only through the court. A verbal agreement to pay a different amount has no legal effect. Until a judge signs a new order, the original obligation stands and any shortfall becomes enforceable debt.
You must show a substantial change in circumstances: a significant income shift for either parent, a change in the child’s living arrangements, or a change in the placement schedule. Separately, state law allows a review once 33 months have passed since the last order, unless the order is already expressed as a percentage of income.12Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Statutes 767.59 – Revision of Support and Maintenance Orders File the motion with the Eau Claire County Clerk of Courts. A hearing is scheduled, both parents present current financials, and the judge decides.
Why You File Immediately After an Income Drop
This is the single most expensive misunderstanding in child support. Under federal law, each payment becomes a judgment the moment it comes due, and no state court can wipe it out retroactively.13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 666 – Requirement of Statutorily Prescribed Procedures Lose your job in January, file for modification in June, and you owe the full original amount for every month in between. The court can only lower the amount going forward from the date you file. Bankruptcy does not discharge child support arrears either. If your income drops, file the same month.
What Happens When Payments Stop
Income withholding is the first line of enforcement. When arrears accumulate, more tools come into play.
Financial Tools
The agency can intercept federal and state tax refunds, record unpaid support on the state’s child support lien docket (functioning like a lien on real property), and report delinquent accounts to credit bureaus, where the entry can remain for up to seven years.
License Suspension
If a parent’s name appears on the child support lien docket and arrears equal or exceed 300% of the monthly obligation or $1,000, whichever is greater, the agency can pursue suspension of driver’s, professional, occupational, and recreational licenses.14Wisconsin Department of Children and Families. License Suspension Losing a professional license over unpaid support can create a cycle where the parent can no longer earn the income to pay. An active alternative payment plan negotiated with the agency blocks suspension, so call before the threshold is crossed.
Passport Denial
Once arrears exceed $2,500, the state certifies the case to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which notifies the State Department. The result is denial, revocation, or restriction of the parent’s passport.15Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 42 USC 652 – Duties of Secretary The $2,500 is cumulative, not monthly, so modest shortfalls add up to a denial at renewal time.
Contempt of Court
When other methods fail, the agency or the custodial parent can ask the court to hold the paying parent in contempt. The court must find the parent had the ability to pay and willfully refused. Penalties include fines and jail. Courts treat it as a last resort, but it happens regularly in Eau Claire County when a parent has the means and refuses.
When the Obligation Ends
Support ends when the child turns 18. If the child is still pursuing a high school diploma or equivalent at 18, support continues until the child turns 19 or graduates, whichever comes first.4Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Statutes 767.511 – Child Support Standard Wisconsin does not extend support for college. Arrears that accumulated before the child aged out remain a legally enforceable debt. The duty to pay back support does not end because the child is now an adult.
Reaching the Eau Claire County Child Support Agency
The office is at 721 Oxford Avenue, Suite 1200, Eau Claire, WI 54703, open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding holidays. The phone number is 414-615-2436.16Eau Claire County. Child Support Agency Application forms are also available on the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families website at dcf.wisconsin.gov.