If you were behind on your child support payments and you were issued federal stimulus funds during the first stimulus in 2020, you may not have received the full, or any, stimulus issued to you because the State of Texas had the right to garnish from the stimulus any past-due child support you owed. You should have received an “offset notice” from the IRS if this happened to you.

That is not the case with the second stimulus authorized by Congress at the end of December 2020. Past-due child support will not be garnished from the second stimulus.

All second stimulus payments were issued as of January 15, 2021, and no further second stimulus payments will be issued. If you have not received a second stimulus payment, but believe you qualify to receive a second stimulus payment, it may be in the mail. You can check the status of your second stimulus here:  https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment.

A third stimulus or similar economic relief package is anticipated in the coming weeks with the new Congress. We will issue an updated alert regarding the effect on your past-due child support obligations at that time.

You may also refer to the Office of the Attorney General of Texas’ Child Support Division references here:  https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/child-support/covid19/your-child-support-and-federal-stimulus-payment