Evidence of child support payments may be needed for a court appearance on allegations of contempt, for proof of compliance for any number of government programs or for tax purposes. While canceled checks, money order receipts or bank statements may be considered evidence of payments, the best evidence can be obtained from the court or government agency in charge of keeping track of child support accounts. Obtaining a copy of the records is generally simple and free of charge if you are the payee or the payor.
Locate the appropriate agency where the child support payment records are kept. This may be where you actually make your payment or it may be another agency. For instance, most child support payments are now ordered to be paid through a court. The court clerk, the state attorney general or the state department of family and children (or the equivalent) may keep the payment records.
Request a copy of the record of payments. If you are the payee or the payor you have a right to a complete record of the payments made. In some states or counties you may be able to access the records online through the court or agency website. In other states or counties you may need to appear in person to make the request. Contact the agency or office by telephone if you are unable to access the records online and ask where you can obtain a copy.
Review the record of payments once you obtain it. Check for discrepancies. Most records are kept on a computer and entered by a person. As such, even child support records are subject to human error. In most jurisdictions, an official copy of the record of payments from the agency that keeps the records is considered evidence and admissible in court.
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Writer Bio
Renee Booker has been writing professionally since 2009 and was a practicing attorney for almost 10 years. She has had work published on Gadling, AOL's travel site. Booker holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Ohio State University and a Juris Doctorate from Indiana University School of Law.