Child support and DHS

[Anonymous]

I have a written agreement from my ex where he pays me $1,000 dollars a month in child support and he directly deposits that weekly on to a pre paid walmart card he supplied me with. He is a self employed man so it's more difficult to have it directly attatched to wages and simpler to have him just wire it. 

My question is I am considering reaching out for some food stamp help and I know they generally go after the non custodial parent to make sure child support is paid. Will they accept the direct pay as long as I have proof of it? Or will they make us go to court and try to have it taken out of his checks?. I think that will be more difficult as some weeks he has no pay while others he has substantial pay. 

[bowribbonmama]

They should.

[Nicoleb9]

Can't you just show them the written agreement and the proof that he's paying? Has the agreement been signed by a notary? I don't know how that works.

[singlemom1208]

They should accept y'alls agreement

[dark_xiii_angel]

In TN child support has to go through the state!

[Homeschoolmom99]

 They may make it less or more they base it on his highest pay period

[ff-princess]

they'll go after him because they'll want reimbursement for what they're giving you in food stamps.  folks who get assistance from the state don't end up getting the full amount of child support.  I think you're going to come out ahead if you just leave well enough alone.

[Anonymous - Original Poster]

Nothing has been signed by a notery just a written agreement between the two of us where he covers 250 a week and carries health insurance for all of us which is awesome cause it costs 700 a month. I think I probably get more out of this way than if they went thru the courts especially since two of my children are not his. 

Quoting Nicoleb9:

Can't you just show them the written agreement and the proof that he's paying? Has the agreement been signed by a notary? I don't know how that works.

[Cpdsptchgrl]

That likely won't be good enough unless it's a court order. They require court ordered child support. Also how many kids do you have? If it is only 1 or 2 that 1,000 COULD be enough to disqualify you for assistance depending on how much you make.

[Anonymous]

I didn't have to go through the state with my son and his father. We provided a paper stating the child support agreement and it was added to my case as income. We didn't have to go through any courts or anything. Just showed the paper and said we both agreed to that.

Quoting dark_xiii_angel:

In TN child support has to go through the state!

[Anonymous]

I think you ought to keep your mouth closed and not take the PA. It's going to hurt you.