The Florida child support card is the smiONE Visa Prepaid Card, issued by the state’s disbursement system to deliver child support payments electronically. If you don’t sign up for direct deposit into a personal bank account, the Florida Department of Revenue mails you the card automatically. Paper checks are no longer used for ongoing payments, with one exception: your very first payment arrives as a one-time paper check before the card shows up in the mail.
How You Get the Card
Florida Statute 61.1824 requires child support payments to be disbursed electronically through the State Disbursement Unit, and it gives you two choices: direct deposit into a bank account you designate, or a stored value account, which is the smiONE card.1Florida Senate. Florida Code 61.1824 – State Disbursement Unit
The process is automatic once your case is active. Your first payment goes out by mail as a paper check. Fifteen days after that first check is issued, the Department of Revenue mails the smiONE card unless you’ve already enrolled in direct deposit.2Florida Department of Revenue. Florida Child Support Program – Receive Payments No separate application is needed.
To use direct deposit instead, complete the paper enrollment form and return it with a voided check or a bank letter to the address on the form. Direct deposit usually becomes active within five business days after the Department of Revenue receives your enrollment.2Florida Department of Revenue. Florida Child Support Program – Receive Payments You can switch between payment methods later through the Florida State Disbursement Unit website or by calling 1-877-769-0251.
Activating and Using the Card
When your card arrives, activate it before any funds become available. You can activate through the smiONE mobile app, the online account center, or the customer service line, which is available around the clock.3smiONE Card. smiONE Visa Prepaid Card – Receive Payments, Reload, and Spend During activation you’ll verify your identity and set a four-digit PIN for ATM withdrawals and debit purchases.
After activation, the card works like a standard Visa debit card. At checkout you can run it as debit with your PIN or as credit with a signature. You can also get cash back at the register when you buy something, but some retailers charge for that service. A 2024 Consumer Financial Protection Bureau report found that chains like Dollar General and Dollar Tree charge a dollar or more for cash-back transactions on prepaid and debit cards, so that cost is worth watching.4Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. CFPB Report Finds Large Retail Chains Charging Cash-back Fees to Customers Using Debit and Prepaid Cards
Checking Your Balance
The smiONE mobile app and online account center are the easiest ways to see your balance and confirm when new payments hit. The app shows transaction history, statements, and spending patterns.3smiONE Card. smiONE Visa Prepaid Card – Receive Payments, Reload, and Spend For an official record, the Department of Revenue’s eServices portal lets you print or save a PDF of your payment history.2Florida Department of Revenue. Florida Child Support Program – Receive Payments
Turning on balance alerts is useful because payment timing can shift by a few days depending on when the paying parent’s employer processes the income deduction.
Fees To Watch For
There is no monthly maintenance fee, but several transaction fees can apply depending on how you access your money:
- In-network ATM withdrawals: free. The card uses the MoneyPass ATM network, with locations at moneypass.com.
- Out-of-network ATM withdrawals: $2.50 per transaction from smiONE, plus any fee the ATM operator charges.
- Out-of-network ATM balance inquiry: $0.50, plus any operator fee.
- Expedited replacement card shipping: $15.00, delivered via UPS in three to five business days.
- Cash reload at retail through the Green Dot network: up to $4.95, set by the retailer.
The simplest way to avoid fees is to stick to MoneyPass ATMs for cash and check your balance in the app rather than at an ATM. Purchases at stores carry no transaction fee, whether you run them as debit or credit.
Replacing a Lost or Stolen Card
If your card is lost or stolen, report it immediately through the account center, the app, or smiONE customer service, which takes calls at any hour. A standard replacement arrives in seven to ten business days.2Florida Department of Revenue. Florida Child Support Program – Receive Payments Expedited shipping costs $15 and delivers in three to five business days.5smiONE Card. smiONE Circle Card Fees Once you report the loss, the old card is voided and any remaining balance transfers to the new one. When the new card arrives, you’ll activate it and set a new PIN.
Your Liability for Unauthorized Charges
How fast you report a lost card or an unauthorized charge determines how much you can be held responsible for. Under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act’s Regulation E, the tiers are:
- Reported within two business days of learning about the loss: your maximum liability is $50 or the amount of unauthorized transactions before you reported, whichever is less.
- Reported after two business days but before your next periodic statement: the cap rises to $500, and only for unauthorized charges that happened after the two-day window closed and that the bank can show would not have happened if you’d reported sooner.
- Not reported within 60 days of a statement showing an unauthorized charge: you can be responsible for all unauthorized transfers that occur after that 60-day window until you report.
Even if you kept your PIN written on the card itself, the bank cannot use your negligence to push liability past these caps. The regulation prohibits that.6eCFR. 12 CFR 1005.6 – Liability of Consumer for Unauthorized Transfers Reporting within two business days is still the single most effective protection.
Disputing Errors and Choosing Direct Deposit
If you see a charge you didn’t make or an incorrect amount, you can file an error dispute under Regulation E. Once you notify smiONE, the bank has 10 business days to investigate. It may extend the review to a total of 45 days only if it issues provisional credit for the disputed amount within those first 10 business days. The bank must tell you the outcome within three business days of finishing the investigation and correct any confirmed error within one business day.
You also cannot be forced onto the card in the first place. The Electronic Fund Transfer Act prohibits a government agency from requiring you to receive benefits through a specific financial institution’s prepaid account, which is why Florida offers direct deposit as an alternative.7Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Prepaid Accounts under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act (Regulation E) and the Truth In Lending Act (Regulation Z)
Are These Payments Taxable
Child support received on the smiONE card or by direct deposit is not taxable income. The IRS treats child support as tax-neutral: the paying parent cannot deduct it, and the receiving parent does not report it as income.8Internal Revenue Service. Tax Information for Non-Custodial Parents These payments do not appear on your federal return and do not affect your adjusted gross income for tax benefits like the earned income credit or the child tax credit.