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 Washington State, child support is a financial obligation mandated by the court when parents divorce, separate, or are not living together. The noncustodial parent—typically the one who does not have primary custody—is required to pay child support to the custodial parent, who has primary custody. Even in cases of joint custody, if one parent is designated the right to determine the child's primary residence, that parent is often entitled to receive child support from the other. The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services' Division of Child Support (DCS) is the equivalent of the Office of the Attorney General in other states and is responsible for enforcing these court-ordered child support payments. Child support can be paid directly from one parent to the other or through wage withholding, where the employer of the obligor deducts the support payment directly from their wages. Wage withholding offers the benefit of automatic record-keeping, which can be useful for both parents.