The numbers are staggering. According to the federal government, more than $100 billion in child support arrearages exist in the US. Closer to home, the Macomb County prosecutor has run the numbers for his county, and they're equally appalling.

“The Office of Child Support wants to make sure parents understand what is happening with stimulus payments to people who owe child support,” said Office of Child Support Director Erin Frisch. The funds will then go to the MDHHS Office of Child Support to be applied to the child support debt owed – as required by the CARES Act. The law requires stimulus payments to apply to child support debt when distributing the funds. The Office of Child Support does not know how much Michigan will receive from the IRS, but expects to receive weekly payments until the stimulus payments discontinue. Families will begin receiving the intercepted stimulus payments next week.

DETROIT – As Americans begin to receive their federal stimulus checks, the Wayne County Friend of the Court (FOC) is notifying residents that their payment may be intercepted if child support is owed. The federal government approved a cash stimulus to provide to Americans due to the economic impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Because the stimulus payments are being treated like a tax return, the funds are subject to be intercepted for child support arrearages, officials say. The FOC says payers of child support will have their stimulus payment intercepted if they owe:$150 or more if their child is receiving cash assistance or is in foster care, or$500 or more if their child is receiving Medicaid only or is receiving no state assistanceIndividuals paying child support can review information about their case by signing up here. Case-specific questions can be directed to Wayne County FOC at 844‑785‑7593.