The CARES bill passed by the U.S. Congress last year allowed states to block the first incentive payment to people who owed child support. In April last year, Governor Mike Parson said he supported this approach.

Missouri intercepts $ 78 million in incentives from people who owe child support

“If you owe your children, you have to pay for your children. They should be a priority for you, “said the governor during a coronavirus briefing on April 10, 2020.” If there is an opportunity to take this money and make sure we get it to the children where they need it, we are definitely I’ll take it. “

According to Parson spokeswoman Kelli Jones, the Missouri Legislature passed law during the special session last November allowing the state to continue to intercept federal stimulus payments to pay custodial parents’ owed money.

State Department of Social Services spokeswoman Rebecca Woelfel says Missouri received a total of $ 78.8 million in stimulus payments from 60,842 people who owe child support between May 2020 and January 2021.

According to Woelfel, most of the funds go to the caring parents. Four percent of the funds were withheld for state debts to custody parental clauses, which performed a cession for periods in which the family received TANF, a temporary financial aid to needy families in Missouri.

Under the first stimulus package passed by the U.S. Congress last year, Americans who earn $ 75,000 or less per year received a payment of $ 1,200, or $ 2,400 for married couples. They also received $ 500 per child. The second incentive payment was $ 600 per adult, $ 1,200 per couple, and up to $ 600 for each qualified child.

The payments should raise money for millions of Americans struggling for a living as the coronavirus pandemic continues to affect the economy.

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