Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Emergency Notice

Courts are closed except for emergency matters until April 6, 2020, maybe longer.
- If you need an emergency 209A restraining order or 258E harassment prevention order, see Asking the court for a restraining order or harassment prevention order during COVID-19
- It is an emergency if your landlord locks you out or shuts off your utilities, See Illegal Eviction
For other public services affected by COVID-19, see our novel coronavirus webpage.

The Department of Revenue

The Massachusetts Department of Revenue has a Child Support Enforcement Division (DOR/CSE). The DOR/CSE gets child support orders, helps parents change child support orders, and makes sure that parents pay their child support orders. You can apply to DOR/CSE for help.

Produced by Attorney Jeff Wolf for MassLegalHelp
Reviewed June 2013

DOR/CSE can:

work with parents to get a child support order;
work with the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) to get a child support order;
help find the other parent;
figure out who the father of a child is – “paternity”;
go to court to get child support orders;
collect child support and send it to the parent the child lives with;
review child support orders for possible changes;
go to court to ask to change child support orders;
make sure parents pay the child support by:
- increasing the amount of child support taken from the parent’s paycheck;
- charging interest on past-due child support;
- seizing a parent’s property;
- taking a parent’s tax refund;
- levying a parent's bank account;
- taking a parent's driver's license or professional license;
- reporting overdue child support to credit reporting agencies; and
- taking a parent to court.

DOR/CSE does not:

deal with custody, parenting time, or visitation;
take either parent’s side in court. Their job is to get the right amount of child support for your child;
hire private investigators to see if a parent is hiding money;
make parents obey alimony orders if it is not part of a child support order; or
make parents pay child support by bringing criminal charges, except in very special situations.