"To increase the amount of child support payments made," MoneyGram a new option for parents

MILWAUKEE -- A new pilot program for paying child support is looking to make things easier for families in Milwaukee County. MoneyGram is a new option that allows individuals to pay child support with cash at popular retail locations, such as Walmart, CVS, and Advance America.

The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF) Bureau of Child Support (BCS) reports that while 70 percent of child support collections are arranged through employers via income withholding, 30 percent of child support payments are made by individuals mailing in personal checks or money orders.

In May 2015, BCS started testing a new program set up through the MoneyGram payment network. Transactions began in late October.

“In an effort to increase the amount of child support payments made, DCF is looking at new ways to make it easier for non-custodial parents to fulfill their obligations,” said DCF Secretary Eloise Anderson. “The success of a program like this could be a model for other counties in the state, making it easier for Wisconsin families to give and receive the financial support children deserve.”

Milwaukee County Department of Child Support Services was first to pilot the MoneyGram program. Payers go to a store (“agent”) that offers the service, presenting their name, KIDS PIN from DCF or social security number, and a “receive code” for the Wisconsin Support Collections Trust Fund. The Milwaukee Child Support Agency also provides walk-in cash payers with information materials to begin using MoneyGram. With a nominal $3.99 transaction fee to the payer, there is no charge to the state for the service.

Some Racine County cases have also started using MoneyGram.

The Bureau of Child Support will use the MoneyGram online payment tracking system to monitor the volume of support payments made through the service in 2015 and 2016. Plans are underway for a statewide rollout of the MoneyGram network in December 2015.