Why are parents being charged a fee?
Federal law requires all states to impose a $25 annual service fee on cases that involve custodial parents who have never received Temporary Assistance for Needy Families. The fee is imposed for each year that a parent receives at least $500 in child support. Currently, the State of Texas pays the fee for parents. More than $25 million has been paid to the federal government to cover the annual fees. Due to the state budget deficit, the Legislature has authorized the Office of the Attorney General to collect the fee from custodial parents. In addition, the Legislature has authorized a $3 monthly SDU fee to offset costs to taxpayers to operate the child support disbursement unit.
