When applying for Mississippi child support services, the first step you need to take is to call or visit your local county child support office. Custodial parents who are on programs such as TANF or any other state or federal assistance will be referred to a child support office for services. Parents who are not on these programs can apply for child support services through their local county office. A one-time application fee of $25.00 will be charged for parents who are not receiving federal or state assistance.

When determining the amount of child support that will be paid, the laws will go by the child support guidelines. These guidelines will determine the amount of child support by calculating a percentage of the non-custodial parent's gross income. This percentages is also calculated by the number of children, and the needs of the children.

Some parents fall behind or just will not pay child support. We label these people as dead beat parents. In the state of Mississippi, there are methods to collecting unpaid child support. Theses methods include income withholding, tax offset interception, unemployment compensation interception, contempt actions, etc. These action were created for the purpose to enforce child support payments.

If a child is born out of wedlock, the custodial parents must first establish paternity in order for the courts to establish a child support order. By establishing paternity, the child will know who his or her parents and their medical history. Paternity can be established when both parents sign an acknowledgement of paternity form and return it to a hospital staff member when the child is born. There will not be a fee for this method. Another method to establish paternity, is to have a genetic test performed on the other parent to see if he is the father of the child/children. Establishing paternity is very important when applying for child support. It is also important to locate and make sure you have proof that the alleged father is the real father of you child/children.