Butler County child support offering amnesty program

The Butler County Child Support Enforcement Agency is giving parents back their driving privileges during a temporary amnesty program through September.

Parents whose driving rights were suspended for non-payment of support will be able to get their license reinstated through an amnesty program the agency is offering until Sept. 30.

“Our ultimate goal is to get people back to work so they can support their children. Having your driver’s license is a crucial component to paying support so we hope that people take advantage of this program,” said Butler County CSEA Assistant Director Narka Gray.

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In honor of Child Support Awareness Month, which is in August, the CSEA is offering parents an opportunity to get their driver’s licenses back by paying one month of support instead of the normal requirement of three months.

In addition, parents can also receive a reinstatement if they report an employer, provide a bank account number, or pay off their total balance.

Dusty Dunaway, the public relations coordinator for the agency, said they offered the same opportunity last year and 283 people took advantage of the program, which allowed $58,000 to be collected.

Of the county’s 24,484 total cases currently open, about 2,800 people are under license suspensions.

MORE: CSEA institutes a new pay-by-phone option to improve child support collections

The agency has also made making child support payments easier by offering a pay-by-phone option, Gray said.

“We began taking payments over the phone at the beginning of this year and have had tremendous success. We have found that the easier and more convenient you make paying support, the more payments parents will make,” she said.

Dunaway said the pay-by-phone option has been a success in terms of increased collections.

“Our new pay-by-phone option is really working as well,” Dunaway said. “Last July we had collected $620,429 in credit card payments, via the payment window only. As of this July we’ve collected $862,349, via the payment window and pay-by-phone, a difference of 38.99 percent.”

In addition to pay-by-phone, individuals can:

  • Make cash and credit card payments from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Fridays at the agency's payment window located on the 7th floor of the Government Services Center in Hamilton.
  • Mail check or money orders to Ohio Child Support Payment Central (CSPC), P.O. Box 182372, Columbus, OH 43218 (include SETS number on the check and make payment to Ohio CSPC)
  • Make cash payments through the MoneyGram program at Wal-Mart, CVS and other major retailers (fee associated with this service)
  • Set up a bank deduction or employer income withholding order
  • Pay online through www.expertpay.com or www.e-childspay.com (fees associated with these options)

Customers with questions about their child support case can visit www.butlercountycsea.org or call 513-887-3362.

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