Data & research
By the numbers
Unpaid child support, in numbers.
Arrears — unpaid, court-ordered child support — add up to real money that children and families never receive. Here's what's known nationally and in New York, with sources for every figure.
National totals
The unpaid child support debt, nationwide
The federal Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE) tracks arrears reported by every state. The most recent published total shows just how much of this debt has been sitting unpaid for years.
As of January 2021 — the most recent nationwide total certified by states and submitted to OCSE.
Source: Administration for Children & Families, OCSE
$100.1 billion of the national total was submitted to OCSE more than five years ago — and research shows the older a debt gets, the less likely it is ever collected.
Source: OCSE Data Blog
In a 9-state federal study (including New York), a small share of noncustodial parents — each owing over $30,000 — accounted for more than half of all arrears held by those states.
Source: ASPE / Urban Institute
These figures reflect certified arrears reported to the federal government and may not capture every case in every local system.
New York State
What we know about New York specifically
New York does not currently publish a single, up-to-date "total arrears owed statewide" figure. What is publicly documented is New York's activity within its own child support program:
The number of child support cases handled by New York's IV-D program in federal fiscal year 2021.
Source: NY OTDA Quadrennial Guidelines Review
Child support collections distributed statewide, with 78% of current support due collected — above the 67% national average.
Source: NY OTDA Quadrennial Guidelines Review
New York is one of only three states that charge a fixed 9% yearly interest rate on unpaid, docketed child support judgments.
Source: National Conference of State Legislatures, via NY family law summary
Why the statewide arrears total is hard to pin down
New York's program is state-supervised but county-administered across 58 local districts. Arrears are tracked at the case level, and while a 9-state federal study once estimated New York's share of national arrears at scale, no recent statewide dollar total has been published by the state itself. If your case involves a specific docket, your local Support Collection Unit can provide your individual arrears balance.
Why enforcement matters
Behind every number is a family still waiting
Unpaid child support isn't an abstract accounting problem — it's rent that didn't get paid, groceries that got harder to afford, and children absorbing the gap between what they were owed and what they received. Enforcement is how a court order becomes real support.
That's the case for the Child Support Enforcement Project's work in Richmond County: helping custodial parents turn unenforced orders into collected, on-time support — one case at a time.
Sources
Where these numbers come from
- Administration for Children & Families, OCSE Data Blog — "Most Arrears Were Submitted to OCSE More Than Five Years Ago" (2021)
- Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) / Urban Institute — "Assessing Child Support Arrears in Nine Large States and the Nation"
- New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, Division of Child Support Services — 2023 Quadrennial Guidelines Review
- National Conference of State Legislatures, summarized via "A Brief Guide to Child Support Arrears in New York State"
Statistics are updated periodically as new state and federal reports are released. Last reviewed July 2026.