Every child needs financial and emotional support from both parents. Child support includes basic support, medical support, and childcare support. A court order can require one or both parents to provide child support for his or her child. The State of Minnesota and Dakota County child support offices work with both parents to help children receive the child support they deserve.
Dakota County Child Support Agency provides a variety of services to make sure that a child receives support.
Services include:
- Locating parents
- Collecting and processing payments
- Changing an existing child support order
- Enforcing an existing child support order
- Identifying and verifying sources of income
- Getting a court order for child support
- Getting a court order for paternity / legally naming the father of a child born outside of marriage
Services do not include:
- Giving legal advice
- Getting a separation or divorce
- Establishing or enforcing parenting time or visitation
- Collecting unpaid bills or debts not related to child support obligations
A person needing paternity and/or child support help may apply for child support services in Dakota County.
An application for child support services is available:
By mail - Call (651) 554-5689 or (651) 554-5852 to request an application
At county service centers - Hastings, Apple Valley, or West St Paul
Online - download from the Minnesota Child Support Enforcement Division web site. Application for Support and Collections Services and Information on Child Support Enforcement (DHS-1958) This form is available in Hmong, Somali, and Spanish.
How can I find out more about child support services?
- General questions on child support call Dakota County at (651) 554-5909.
- Questions on applying for services call (651) 554-5689 or (651) 554-5852.
- For more information on child support services go to State of MN web site.