When the parents of a minor child divorce or are no longer living together—or were never married—child support is the amount of money the court orders a parent who does not have primary custody of the child (the noncustodial parent) pay to the parent who does have primary custody (the custodial parent).

In some states the parents may be designated joint managing conservators of the child (joint custody), but one parent is given the right to choose the primary residence of the child, within a geographic area. The parent with this right to choose the child’s primary residence is usually entitled to receive child support payments.

The Office of the Attorney General in your state generally enforces the payment of court-ordered child support. Child support payments generally may be made by direct payment from one parent to the other, or through wage withholding by the employer of the parent who owes child support (the obligor). One advantage to payment by wage withholding is the built-in recordkeeping in the system.

In Maine, when parents divorce or separate, and they have minor children, the court may order one parent to pay child support to the other. The parent who does not have primary physical custody (noncustodial parent) typically pays child support to the parent with primary custody (custodial parent). Even in cases of joint custody, if one parent is designated the primary residential caregiver, they may be entitled to receive child support from the other parent. The Maine Division of Support Enforcement & Recovery (DSER), under the Department of Health and Human Services, is responsible for enforcing child support orders. Child support can be paid directly from one parent to the other or through income withholding from the noncustodial parent's employer, which provides a systematic record of payments made. The amount of child support is determined by state guidelines, which consider the income of both parents, the number of children, and other relevant factors.