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 South Dakota, when parents divorce, separate, or are not married, child support is the financial contribution ordered by the court for the noncustodial parent to pay to the custodial parent. The custodial parent is the one with whom the child primarily lives. Even if parents have joint custody, the parent who has the right to determine the child's primary residence typically receives child support. The South Dakota Department of Social Services, through its Division of Child Support, enforces the payment of court-ordered child support, not the Office of the Attorney General as in some states. Child support can be paid directly from one parent to the other or through wage withholding from the noncustodial parent's employer, which provides a systematic record of payments made. The state uses child support guidelines to calculate the amount of support, which considers the income of both parents, the cost of child care, and other factors.