Not necessarily. There is an “opt out” process which may allow some parents to negate the need for Friend of the Court services. In these particular cases, child support is not automatically deducted from the Payer’s check. Instead, the Payer pays child support, directly to the Payee, by way of cash, check, or automatic transfer. This process, as described, negates the Friend of the Court service charge of $3.50 per month.

Before deciding to “opt out” of the Friend of the Court process, there are various considerations that must be addressed.