MDHHS announces new convenient service to pay child support at retailers

SUNNYVALE, Calif. and LANSING, Mich. – August 8, 2016 – Children and families will benefit from a new service that makes Michigan child support payments more convenient across the state and nationwide.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and its Michigan State Disbursement Unit today are launching a partnership with electronic payment provider PayNearMe® that allows parents to make their child support payments with cash at more than 550 Michigan and 17,000 nationwide participating 7-Eleven® and Family Dollar® stores.

“Michigan is committed to offering child support customers a variety of convenient options to make their payments. We are continually adding innovative services that respond to customer preferences and needs,” said Erin Frisch, director of the Office of Child Support within MDHHS. “If we make this process more convenient, children will receive the support that they need and deserve more quickly.”

The process is simple. Parents can:

1. Visit the misdu.com website and select the “Cash Payment” option.
2. Enter requested account information on the PayNearMe website.
3. Select whether they want the payment code sent to their phone or printed out.
4. Choose from the list of payment locations closest to them.
5. Visit the store and provide both the payment code and cash to the cashier.

Customers pay a $1.99 convenience fee and PayNearMe payments can take up to three business days to post, just like any other electronic payment made by a customer.

To better help parents provide for their children, MDHHS works collaboratively with local agencies, courts, county health and human services entities, employers and various state and federal agencies. As August is Child Support Awareness Month in Michigan, as declared by Gov. Rick Snyder, and nationally, this new service helps Michigan parents support their children’s many needs, allowing them to grow into thriving, self-sustaining adults.

The Michigan State Disbursement Unit within the MDHHS Office of Child Support, known as MiSDU, is the state’s centralized payment processing center for collecting and distributing support payments. In 2015, the Michigan child support program collected and paid $1.36 billion in child support, with $1.2 billion sent to families.

While a majority of payments made to MiSDU are made by employers on behalf of their employees, a significant number of non-custodial parents still pay on their own. Customers can pay online, by phone or by mail using a credit card, check or money order.

Many customers pay by cash or money orders. Also, many customers have transportation or other challenges making it difficult for them to visit the local Friend of the Court office. With this new service these customers will now have a more convenient way to pay their child support with cash at a participating retail location near them or anywhere in the nation.

About PayNearMe:

PayNearMe has been enabling government agencies and businesses to accept cash payments remotely since 2009. Using PayNearMe, consumers can make payments on their own schedule, in their own neighborhood, at one of nearly 17,000 trusted locations in the U.S. which include 7-Eleven®, Family Dollar® and ACE Cash Express stores. The company’s payable merchants include Greyhound bus, California Department of Child Support Services and the city of Philadelphia’s bike share program Indego, among others. For more information, visit: www.paynearme.com or download the free app from the Google Play store and iTunes App Store.

About MISDU Office of Child Support:

For more information about this and other payment options, or to make a payment online, visit www.misdu.com.

Contact: Bob Wheaton
(517) 241-2112
wheatonb@michigan.gov