Wash. Rev. Code § 26.23.050

Current through the 2024 Regular Session

Section 26.23.050 - Support orders-Provisions-Enforcement-Confidential information form-Rules

(1) If the division of child support is providing support enforcement services under RCW 26.23.045, or if a party is applying for support enforcement services by signing the application form on the bottom of the support order, the superior court shall include in all court orders that establish or modify a support obligation:

(a) A provision that orders and directs the person required to pay support to make all support payments to the Washington state support registry;

(b) A statement that withholding action may be taken against wages, earnings, assets, or benefits, and liens enforced against real and personal property under the child support statutes of this or any other state, without further notice to the person required to pay support at any time after entry of the court order, unless:

(i) One of the parties demonstrates, and the court finds, that there is good cause not to require immediate income withholding and that withholding should be delayed until a payment is past due; or

(ii) The parties reach a written agreement that is approved by the court that provides for an alternate arrangement;

(c) A statement that the payee under the order or the person entitled to receive support might be required to submit an accounting of how the support, including any cash medical support, is being spent to benefit the child;

(d) A statement that a party to the support order who is required to provide health care coverage for the child or children covered by the order must notify the division of child support and the other party to the support order when the coverage terminates;

(e) A statement that any privilege of the person required to pay support to obtain and maintain a license, as defined in RCW 74.20A.320, may not be renewed, or may be suspended if the person is not in compliance with a support order as provided in RCW 74.20A.320; and

(f) A statement that the support obligation under the order may be abated as provided in RCW 26.09.320 if the person required to pay support is confined in a jail, prison, or correctional facility for at least six months, or is serving a sentence greater than six months in a jail, prison, or correctional facility.

As used in this subsection and subsection (3) of this section, "good cause not to require immediate income withholding" means a written determination of why implementing immediate wage withholding would not be in the child's best interests and, in modification cases, proof of timely payment of previously ordered support.

(2) In all other cases not under subsection (1) of this section, the court may order the person required to pay support to make payments directly to the person entitled to receive the payments, to the Washington state support registry, or may order that payments be made in accordance with an alternate arrangement agreed upon by the parties.

(a) The superior court shall include in all orders under this subsection that establish or modify a support obligation:

(i) A statement that withholding action may be taken against wages, earnings, assets, or benefits, and liens enforced against real and personal property under the child support statutes of this or any other state, without further notice to the person required to pay support at any time after entry of the court order, unless:

(A) One of the parties demonstrates, and the court finds, that there is good cause not to require immediate income withholding and that withholding should be delayed until a payment is past due; or

(B) The parties reach a written agreement that is approved by the court that provides for an alternate arrangement;

(ii) A statement that the payee under the order or the person entitled to receive support may be required to submit an accounting of how the support is being spent to benefit the child;

(iii) A statement that any party to the order required to provide health care coverage for the child or children covered by the order must notify the division of child support and the other party to the order when the coverage terminates; and

(iv) A statement that a party to the order seeking to enforce the other party's obligation to provide health care coverage may:

(A) File a motion in the underlying superior court action; or

(B) If there is not already an underlying superior court action, initiate an action in the superior court.

As used in this subsection, "good cause not to require immediate income withholding" is any reason that the court finds appropriate.

(b) The superior court may order immediate or delayed income withholding as follows:

(i) Immediate income withholding may be ordered if the person required to pay support has earnings. If immediate income withholding is ordered under this subsection, all support payments shall be paid to the Washington state support registry. The superior court shall issue a mandatory wage assignment order as set forth in chapter 26.18 RCW when the support order is signed by the court. The payee under the order or the person entitled to receive the transfer payment is responsible for serving the employer with the order and for its enforcement as set forth in chapter 26.18 RCW.

(ii) If immediate income withholding is not ordered, the court shall require that income withholding be delayed until a payment is past due. The support order shall contain a statement that withholding action may be taken against wages, earnings, assets, or benefits, and liens enforced against real and personal property under the child support statutes of this or any other state, without further notice to the person required to pay support, after a payment is past due.

(c) If a mandatory income withholding order under chapter 26.18 RCW is issued under this subsection and the division of child support provides support enforcement services under RCW 26.23.045, the existing wage withholding assignment is prospectively superseded upon the division of child support's subsequent service of an income withholding order.

(3) The office of administrative hearings and the department of social and health services shall require that all support obligations established as administrative orders include a provision which orders and directs that the person required to pay support shall make all support payments to the Washington state support registry. All administrative orders shall also state that any privilege of the person required to pay support to obtain and maintain a license, as defined in RCW 74.20A.320, may not be renewed, or may be suspended if the person is not in compliance with a support order as provided in RCW 74.20A.320. All administrative orders shall also state that withholding action may be taken against wages, earnings, assets, or benefits, and liens enforced against real and personal property under the child support statutes of this or any other state without further notice to the person required to pay support at any time after entry of the order, unless:

(a) One of the parties demonstrates, and the presiding officer finds, that there is good cause not to require immediate income withholding; or

(b) The parties reach a written agreement that is approved by the presiding officer that provides for an alternate agreement.

(4) If the support order does not include the provision ordering and directing that all payments be made to the Washington state support registry and a statement that withholding action may be taken against wages, earnings, assets, or benefits if a support payment is past due or at any time after the entry of the order, or that licensing privileges of the person required to pay support may not be renewed, or may be suspended, the division of child support may serve a notice on the person stating such requirements and authorizations. Service may be by personal service or any form of mail requiring a return receipt.

(5) Every support order shall state:

(a) The address where the support payment is to be sent;

(b) That withholding action may be taken against wages, earnings, assets, or benefits, and liens enforced against real and personal property under the child support statutes of this or any other state, without further notice to the person required to pay support at any time after entry of a support order, unless:

(i) One of the parties demonstrates, and the court finds, that there is good cause not to require immediate income withholding; or

(ii) The parties reach a written agreement that is approved by the court that provides for an alternate arrangement;

(c) The income of the parties, if known, or that their income is unknown and the income upon which the support award is based;

(d) The support award as a sum certain amount;

(e) The specific day or date on which the support payment is due;

(f) The names and ages of the dependent children;

(g) A provision requiring both the person required to pay support, and the payee under the order or the person entitled to receive support who is a parent of the child or children covered by the order, to keep the Washington state support registry informed of whether he or she has access to health care coverage at reasonable cost and, if so, the health care coverage information;

(h) That either or both the person required to pay support, and the payee under the order or the person entitled to receive support who is a parent of the child or children covered by the order, shall be obligated to provide medical support for a child or children covered by the order through health care coverage if:

(i) The person obligated to provide medical support provides accessible coverage for the child or children through private or public health care coverage; or

(ii) Coverage that can be extended to cover the child or children is or becomes available to the person obligated to provide medical support through employment or is union-related; or

(iii) In the absence of such coverage, through an additional sum certain amount, as that obligated person's monthly payment toward the premium as provided under RCW 26.09.105;

(i) That a person obligated to provide medical support who is providing health care coverage must notify both the division of child support and the other party to the order when coverage terminates;

(j) That if proof of health care coverage or proof that the coverage is unavailable is not provided within twenty days, the person seeking enforcement or the department may seek direct enforcement of the coverage through the employer or union of the person required to provide medical support without further notice to the person as provided under chapter 26.18 RCW;

(k) The reasons for not ordering health care coverage if the order fails to require such coverage;

(l) That any privilege of the person required to pay support to obtain and maintain a license, as defined in RCW 74.20A.320, may not be renewed, or may be suspended if the person is not in compliance with a support order as provided in RCW 74.20A.320;

(m) That each party to the support order must:

(i) Promptly file with the court and update as necessary the confidential information form required by subsection (7) of this section; and

(ii) Provide the state case registry and update as necessary the information required by subsection (7) of this section; and

(n) That parties to administrative support orders shall provide to the state case registry and update as necessary their residential addresses and the address of the employer of the person required to pay support. The division of child support may adopt rules that govern the collection of parties' current residence and mailing addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, social security numbers, the names of the children, social security numbers of the children, dates of birth of the children, driver's license numbers, and the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the parties' employers to enforce an administrative support order. The division of child support shall not release this information if the division of child support determines that there is reason to believe that release of the information may result in physical or emotional harm to the party or to the child, or a restraining order or protective order is in effect to protect one party from the other party.

(6) After the person required to pay support has been ordered or notified to make payments to the Washington state support registry under this section, that person shall be fully responsible for making all payments to the Washington state support registry and shall be subject to payroll deduction or other income-withholding action. The person required to pay support shall not be entitled to credit against a support obligation for any payments made to a person or agency other than to the Washington state support registry except as provided under RCW 74.20.101. A civil action may be brought by the person required to pay support to recover payments made to persons or agencies who have received and retained support moneys paid contrary to the provisions of this section.

(7) All petitioners and parties to all court actions under chapters 26.09, 26.12, 26.18, 26.21A, 26.23, 26.26A, 26.26B, and 26.27 RCW and minor guardianships under chapter 11.130 RCW shall complete to the best of their knowledge a verified and signed confidential information form or equivalent that provides the parties' current residence and mailing addresses, telephone numbers, dates of birth, social security numbers, driver's license numbers, and the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the parties' employers, to ensure that the parties' information is added to the judicial information system's person database. The clerk of the court shall not accept petitions, except in parentage actions initiated by the state, orders of child support, decrees of dissolution, or parentage orders for filing in such actions unless accompanied by the confidential information form or equivalent, or unless the confidential information form or equivalent is already on file with the court clerk. In lieu of or in addition to requiring the parties to complete a separate confidential information form, the clerk may collect the information in electronic form. The clerk of the court shall transmit the confidential information form or its data to the division of child support with a copy of the order of child support or parentage order, and may provide copies of the confidential information form or its data and any related findings, decrees, parenting plans, orders, or other documents to the state administrative agency that administers Title IV-A, IV-D, IV-E, or XIX of the federal social security act. In state initiated parentage actions, the parties adjudicated the parents of the child or children shall complete the confidential information form or equivalent or the state's attorney of record may complete that form to the best of the attorney's knowledge.

(8) The department has rule-making authority to enact rules consistent with 42 U.S.C. Sec. 652(f) and 42 U.S.C. Sec. 666(a)(19) as amended by section 7307 of the deficit reduction act of 2005. Additionally, the department has rule-making authority to implement regulations required under 45 C.F.R. Parts 302, 303, 304, 305, and 308.

RCW 26.23.050

Amended by 2022 c 243,§ 4, eff. 1/1/2023.

Amended by 2021 c 35,§ 13, eff. 7/25/2021.

Amended by 2020 c 227,§ 9, eff. 2/1/2021.

Amended by 2019 c 46,§ 5026, eff. 7/28/2019.

Amended by 2018 c 150,§ 104, eff. 6/7/2018.

2009 c 476 § 4; 2007 c 143 § 3; 2001 c 42 § 3; 1998 c 160 § 2; 1997 c 58 § 888; 1994 c 230 § 9; 1993 c 207 § 1; 1991 c 367 § 39; 1989 c 360 § 15; 1987 c 435 § 5.

Effective date- 2022 c 243 s 4: "Section 4 of this act takes effect January 1, 2023." [2022 c 243 s 9.]

Effective date- 2021 c 35 s 14: "Section 14 of this act takes effect February 1, 2021." [2021 c 35 s 21.]

Expiration date- 2021 c 35 s 13: "Section 13 of this act expires February 1, 2021." [2021 c 35 s 20.]

Effective date- 2020 c 227 s s 3-13: See note following RCW 26.09.320.

Findings-Intent- 2020 c 227 : See note following RCW 26.09.320.

Rule-making authority- 2020 c 227 : See RCW 26.09.916.

Effective date- 2009 c 476 : See note following RCW 26.09.105.

Severability-2007 c 143: See note following RCW 26.18.170.

Effective date-Severability-2001 c 42: See notes following RCW 26.09.020.

Short title-Part headings, captions, table of contents not law-Exemptions and waivers from federal law-Conflict with federal requirements-Severability-1997 c 58: See RCW 74.08A.900 through 74.08A.904.

Intent-1997 c 58: See note following RCW 74.20A.320.

Severability-Effective date-Captions not law-1991 c 367: See notes following RCW 26.09.015.