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 North Carolina, child support is the financial contribution ordered by the court from the noncustodial parent to the custodial parent for the expenses of raising a minor child. When parents divorce, separate, or were never married, the court may order one parent to pay child support to the other. The amount of child support is determined by North Carolina Child Support Guidelines, which consider both parents' incomes, the child's healthcare and childcare costs, and other factors. Even in cases of joint custody, the parent who does not have primary physical custody may still be required to pay child support if the other parent is designated the primary caregiver and has the child for a greater portion of the time. In North Carolina, child support payments can be made directly between parents or through wage withholding, where the payment is deducted from the noncustodial parent's paycheck. The North Carolina Child Support Enforcement (CSE) agency, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, is responsible for enforcing child support orders and can assist with locating noncustodial parents, establishing paternity, and setting up and enforcing child support orders.