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Frequently
Asked Questions
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Have any new technologies been implemented for Child
Support/Alimony (Central Depository) Office?
The
staff of the Child Support/Alimony Office (Central Depository) of the
Miami-Dade County Clerk's Office is committed to providing the public
with quality service. Its primary goal is to ensure that child support
and alimony payments are processed daily and in a timely manner.
Each year this office processes hundreds of thousands of transactions
involving the receipt and disbursement of millions of dollars in child
support payments. Since 1989, the caseload has increased by thirty- three
percent, while collections have increased by seventy percent. To
meet the challenges of this increased workload, a number of creative procedures
have been developed including the implementation of new technologies.
In April 1995, a Direct Deposit system was implemented. This system
allows payers and recipients of child support and alimony payments to
electronically pay or receive by using direct deposit. With child support
payments going directly to the payees' bank accounts, custodial parents
no longer have to anxiously wait for the postal carrier to deliver their
support payments. An added benefit from adopting this system is an
annual savings of approximately $7,000 per fiscal year in postage
expenditures. Another program allows the payors of child support, including
employers, to electronically transmit support payments from their bank
accounts to the Depository's bank account. This procedure also accelerates
payments to the custodial parents.
Although new technologies and innovations may guide the way we do business
on our way to the twenty-first century, the Clerk's Office will continue
to rely on the "human touch" in responding to the diversified
needs of the public.
What
is the Disbursement Process?
It
takes approximately 48 hours to disburse a payment if it is made with
secured funds: money order, cashier's check, VISA, MasterCard or cash.
A personal check is considered to be unsecured funds and may delay the
process as much as four days.
The Child Support/Alimony Office or Central Depository receives and processes
payment. If the State Attorney was not involved with the court
order, the payment goes directly to the bank, either as a direct deposit
to the payee's account (see Direct Deposit) or into the Central Depository
account. If the payee has not arranged for direct deposit, a check will
be issued to the payee from the Central Depository account.
If the State Attorney was involved with the court order, a check covering
all such payments received by Child Support/Alimony Office (Central Depository)
on day one is issued to the Department of Child Support Enforcement.
All checks issued by the Child Support/Alimony Office (Central Depository)
are mailed out on the second day, directly to the custodial parent if
there was no involvement by the State Attorney or sent by overnight delivery
to the Department of Child Support Enforcement if the State Attorney was
involved. In the latter case, the Department of Child Support Enforcement
then becomes responsible for sending out individual payments.
How
can I facilitate the Disbursement Process?
Be
sure that your attorney or representative has sent a certified copy of
your Final Judgment of Dissolution of Marriage or the Court Order to the
Child Support/Alimony Office (Central Depository). No monies will be
disbursed without the proper authorization from the Court.
How
do I make a payment?
Use secured funds as
described above. Personal checks are unsecured funds and delay the processing.
Do not send cash through the mail. Include your coupon with the payment.
Make cashier's check or money order payable to the "Clerk of
the Circuit Court". Include the case number on the face of the
cashier's check or money order.
What
is Direct Deposit?
With direct deposit,
monies are deposited electronically into a bank account. For Child Support
and Alimony payments received by Child Support/Alimony Office (Central
Depository), monies can be deposited directly via electronic communication
into a payee's checking or savings account. The advantages of this process
are that monies are received sooner by the payee because of the elimination
of mailing time; there is no need for the payee to go to the bank to deposit
payment checks, also this will eliminate the chances of loss or
stolen checks in the mailing process.
To verify if a check has been deposited, the payee may contact the customer
service department of his/her financial institution or call the Miami-Dade
County Clerk's Child Support/Alimony Office (Central Depository) at (305)
275-1122.
How
can I get Direct Deposit?
You must obtain an authorization
form from Child Support/Alimony Office (Central Depository) and take it
to your financial institution for completion. Then return the completed
form along with a copy of your deposit slip or voided check to: Central
Depository, 370 SE First Street, Suite 200, Miami, Florida 33131-2002.
You will begin receiving your payments in approximately two weeks from
the time Central Depository has received the authorization for direct
deposit.
How
can I stop Direct Deposit?
In order to stop Direct
Deposit of your child support/alimony checks, you must notify the Child
Support/Alimony Office (Central Depository) in writing that you wish to
discontinue the direct deposit process at: 370 SE. First Street, Suite
200, Miami, Florida 33131-2002.
Child
Support/Alimony (Central Depository) DIAL (Direct
Information Access Line):
The Child Support/Alimony (Central
Depository) DIAL (Direct Information Access Line) voice response system,
(305) 275-1122, provides up- to-the minute information on Child Support
and Alimony payments including date of payment receipt and disbursement
and account balance. Other available information consists of delinquency
notices, payment coupon information and methods of payment.
