How to collect unpaid child support in Hawaii

How unpaid support is collected, interest and license rules, and a free letter asking the agency to enforce.

Checked against official sources: Oct 25, 2026.

Short answer

Arrears means child support that is past due. CSEA does not calculate or collect interest on unpaid support as it builds up (CSEA Rights and Responsibilities, FCS032).

License suspension
Driver's licenses: unpaid support equal to 3 months of payments. Professional and vocational licenses: unpaid support equal to 6 months of payments.
Passport denial
Over $2,500 past due (federal law)

What the agency can do in Hawaii

Arrears means support that is past due. The child support agency can use these tools to collect it:

  • Income withholding
  • Driver's license suspension
  • Professional and vocational license suspension
  • Federal tax refund and administrative offset (federal refund offset when $500 or more is owed to you)
  • Passport denial when more than $2,500 is owed
  • Credit bureau reporting
  • Liens on real property (orders recorded with the Bureau of Conveyances)
  • Payment agreements to avoid license suspension

Law: HRS 576D-13; HRS 576D-6

Ask the agency in writing to collect what is owed: Ask the agency to collect unpaid support

Licenses in Hawaii

Driver's licenses: unpaid support equal to 3 months of payments. Professional and vocational licenses: unpaid support equal to 6 months of payments. You have 30 days after the notice to ask for a hearing or make a payment agreement, which stops the suspension. Hawaii law also covers recreational licenses, but CSEA reports that it does not currently suspend them.

Law: HRS 576D-1; HRS 576D-13

Source: OCSS IRG

What federal law adds

  • Tax refunds. The federal government can take a federal tax refund to pay past-due child support. Law: 42 U.S.C. 664
  • Passports. A parent who owes more than $2,500 in past-due support can be refused a passport. Law: 42 U.S.C. 652(k)
  • Pay withholding limit. For support, up to 50% of take-home pay can be withheld if the parent supports another spouse or child, or 60% if not. It is 55% or 65% when support is more than 12 weeks behind. Law: 15 U.S.C. 1673(b)
  • Past-due support. Each unpaid payment becomes a judgment on the day it is due. It can't be lowered later, except back to the date the other parent got notice of a request to change the order. Law: 42 U.S.C. 666(a)(9)

Interest on unpaid support in Hawaii

CSEA does not calculate or collect interest on unpaid support as it builds up (CSEA Rights and Responsibilities, FCS032).

In nearby states

Your next steps in Hawaii

  1. Write down every payment

    Keep a log of every payment and every missed payment.

  2. Ask the agency to enforce

    If you don't have a case yet, open one with Child Support Enforcement Agency (CSEA), Hawaii Department of the Attorney General ((808) 207-9915)

  3. Tell the agency about income

    Tell the agency where the other parent works or lives.

  4. Check the balance

    Ask whether interest is added and how much is owed in total.

Free legal help in Hawaii

Questions about unpaid support in Hawaii

How is unpaid child support collected in Hawaii?

Arrears means support that is past due. The child support agency can use these tools to collect it: Income withholding; Driver's license suspension; Professional and vocational license suspension; Federal tax refund and administrative offset (federal refund offset when $500 or more is owed to you); Passport denial when more than $2,500 is owed; Credit bureau reporting; Liens on real property (orders recorded with the Bureau of Conveyances); Payment agreements to avoid license suspension.

Can unpaid support cost a driver's license in Hawaii?

Driver's licenses: unpaid support equal to 3 months of payments. Professional and vocational licenses: unpaid support equal to 6 months of payments. You have 30 days after the notice to ask for a hearing or make a payment agreement, which stops the suspension. Hawaii law also covers recreational licenses, but CSEA reports that it does not currently suspend them.

Is there interest on unpaid child support in Hawaii?

CSEA does not calculate or collect interest on unpaid support as it builds up (CSEA Rights and Responsibilities, FCS032).

Keep reading about Hawaii

Sources

Sources

Last checked: Oct 25, 2026.

Federal sources