Hawaii Child Support

No, Hawaii does not allow parents to claim support payments on taxes.

No, there is not a program for paying support on a pre-tax basis in Hawaii.

Yes, it is possible to have your federal tax return taken if you fall behind on payments.

Paternity can be established automatically if parents are married at the time of birth, voluntarily the following birth if parents are not married or via paternity establishment services from the Child Support Enforcement Agency in Hawaii.

A father doesn't have any rights unless legal paternity has been established.

Paternity testing may be mandated by a court if a Consent Judgment of Paternity is filed due to an inability to reach an agreement.

A court would typically allow the use of a family member's DNA in such a situation.

While paternity testing conducted by accredited laboratories will be accepted by Hawaiian courts, a father must have the permission of the legal guardian before testing.

Paternity in Hawaii can be established until a child turns 18 years old.

Yes, it is possible to modify support orders once they've been created in Hawaii.

You can either submit a written request for modification to the HI Child Support Enforcement Agency or initiate an action with the Hawaii Family Court. Legal representation is always strongly recommended in support cases. You can modify it every three years or whenever a large change in circumstances occurs.

Yes, parties have 30 days to appeal once a filed order has been received.

Most enforcement actions are automatically initiated when payments are late in Hawaii using the KEIKI system.

It is important to alert the local support office that is handling your case immediately. You will face penalties like income withholding, seizure of tax refunds, license suspension, passport revocation, property liens, contempt of court charges and federal prosecution.

The support that is overdue by two years or that totals $10,000 or more could result in felony charges and a court record in Hawaii.

No, Hawaii has one of the strictest policies in the country for upholding debt obligations.

You will need to work through the Office of Child Support Hearings if you think that a qualifying circumstance has occurred. The legal age for stopping the payments is 18 years old or 20 years old if a child is still attending secondary school on a full-time basis

You may be able to terminate support if your child has become emancipated, custody has changed or you've reconciled with the custodial parent.

While a custodial parent can petition to close a case, only a court can decide how any past-due payments will be handled. It can be closed when a child reaches the legal age of emancipation or if another qualifying circumstance occurs..