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 West Virginia, child support is a legal obligation paid by the noncustodial parent to the custodial parent to contribute to the costs of raising their minor child. When parents divorce, separate, or if they were never married, the court may order child support payments. West Virginia uses child support guidelines to determine the amount of support, which considers the income of both parents and the needs of the child. Even in cases of joint custody, the parent who has the primary physical custody (the parent with whom the child lives most of the time) is typically entitled to receive child support from the other parent. The West Virginia Bureau for Child Support Enforcement (BCSE), under the Department of Health and Human Resources, assists in enforcing and collecting child support payments. Child support can be paid directly or through wage withholding, where the employer deducts the support amount from the noncustodial parent's paycheck. Wage withholding is often preferred for its convenience and record-keeping benefits.