RELEASE : May 29, 2001

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TRENTON - Parents who are paid child support through the state government will soon be able to receive their money by direct deposit, Acting Commissioner James W. Smith Jr. announced today.

The direct deposit option, initiated in Mercer County this month, will be extended to other counties statewide by the end of the year. About 700 parents in Mercer County have expressed interest in direct deposit.

Previously, child support collected by the state-contracted Family Support Payment Center was forwarded, via check, to the custodial parent. Direct deposit speeds up the process by several days and eliminates banking hassles or other problems, such as lost checks.

"The money goes straight into the custodial parent’s bank account, eliminating the waiting time for a check to come in the mail,’’ Smith said. "This is a great advantage for families who depend on child support to help pay the rent or mortgage or for other daily necessities."

Also today, Smith unveiled the department's newest ads encouraging non-custodial parents to get involved in their children’s lives. The ads serve as a follow-up to the DHS' two-year-old campaign "Child Support: It's more than just money."

The new ads ask: Pride. Confidence. Joy. What have you given your kids lately? (And in Spanish: Espíritu. ¿Qué le ha dado a sus hijos últimamente?)

"Our commitment as parents is never done," Smith said. "It’s never too late to get involved with your children and to meet your obligations, and this includes payment of child support. Even parents who do not live with their children should continue to show them they care."

The DHS Office of Child Support and Paternity Programs will run the ads on NJ TRANSIT buses, PATH trains, and in bus shelters through the end of the year. The ads will appear along bus and train routes throughout the state, beginning in Mercer County and ending in Passaic County.

The state, which administers about 363,000 child support cases, distributed $722 million to custodial parents in federal Fiscal Year 2000, which ended last Sept. 30. About one-third of non-custodial parents are delinquent in paying child support.